Secrets and Shadows
by AlchemyWriter
Summary: Thirteen years after the Promised Day, Selim Bradley has regained his memories and become a State Alchemist. When Amestris is asked by Dumbledore to keep an eye on Harry Potter, Selim is sent to fulfill that request. However, with the Ministry of Magic making communications difficult, and the Golden Trio suspicious of him, Selim will need to tread carefully to keep his secret safe.
1. Prologue

**I don't own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa and JK Rowling, respectively.**

"Dear, do you have everything?"

"Yes mother, I checked before we left."

Selim Bradley stood on the train platform with his mother, suitcase in hand. His mother sighed as she saw Captain Riza Hawkeye approach them. "I know, dear. I'm just worried about you."

"Selim, it's time to go."

Captain Hawkeye's voice drew both mother and sons' attention, and Selim nodded. "Just a moment, ma'am. I'll be right with you." Selim gave his mother a hug and wished her goodbye, before following Hawkeye towards the train.

"Are you nervous?"

The question caught Selim off guard. Was he nervous? He'd done far more dangerous things since becoming a State Alchemist, or even while assisting Father. Playing bodyguard and exchange student would be easy, especially with his…unique situation.

"Not really. The only thing that makes me nervous about this is visiting a new country and school. I'm pretty sure all kids are nervous when attending a new school, so that isn't so bad."

Hawkeye nodded. "I guess that makes sense. You're used to Amestris, so new people in a different country will be a big change." She replied, "As long as you don't reveal your secret to them. We don't know how they will react, but they might consider you to have been created though Dark means, and our report says that they aren't as open-minded about that."

Selim acknowledged her warning. Concealing the fact that he was a homunculus was easily priority number one for him. He had barely gained the trust of the military when they learned his memory had returned. Selim didn't want to deal with wizards who wouldn't understand.

Most people would have jumped at the chance to attend a magic school like Selim was, but Selim was more curious about how the Law of Equivalent Exchange was ignored in their society. The ability to create something from nothing had only been possible with a Philosopher's Stone for alchemists, the idea that an entire culture of people could do so without one was something that intrigued the eldest homunculus. The military had spoken with the magical government beforehand, so there wouldn't be any problems about attending the school, but Selim did have a question for Hawkeye as they boarded the train.

"So, what does Fuhrer Grumman want me to say if someone asks about King Bradley? I have a few fake backstories to trick them with."

Hawkeye took her seat and looked over at Selim. "There are very few books about Amestris in their country, so it is unlikely that his name will come up, but our briefing showed that one of the client's friends, Hermione Granger, is very curious and loves to learn, so she may have found a book on Amestris. If that is the case, use whatever story that will keep her from becoming suspicious."

As the train started moving, Selim glanced out the window and mentally reviewed his mission. _Keep an eye on Harry Potter, stay observant for information about what the supposedly dead-but-came-back Lord Voldemort was up to from the children of his followers, and attempt to keep the magical government's spy from abusing their power,_ he thought, _that won't be easy, but I can do it._

As the train left the station, Selim watched the platform disappear. He'd miss Amestris, but he'd be back in a few months, and he'd be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't excited for what he'd learn.

 **Thank you for reading. I apologize if the writing is a little clunky, this is my first story, and I'm still working on pacing and keeping attention. I have a better idea of how later scenes will play out, so the writing will improve. I'm not sure when I will be able to write and post the next chapter, but I probably will soon. Until next time.**


	2. The Boy on the Stairs

**Thank you all for the reviews and for following this story! I'm glad that people like the idea for this story. Now, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist.**

It took a few days of travel, but they finally reached London. Selim grabbed his suitcase while Captain Hawkeye gathered her own things. During the trip, she'd been practicing her English, and they didn't know if any of the people that they were staying with were fluent in Amestrian. As they left the station, Hawkeye asked for directions to a neighborhood called Grimmauld Place. The two walked down the block, and Hawkeye glanced at Selim.

"Your English is very good, from what I heard on the train. Did you practice it before?"

Selim suspected that she was trying to get their minds off the walk, but he decided to answer her anyway.

"Sometimes I'd go for decades between families and would just be supervising Sloth. I studied a lot of things when I wasn't keeping Sloth working or killing intruders."

Hawkeye looked a little surprised, clearly, she hadn't been expecting that.

"I'm surprised, because-"

"You're surprised that homunculi can feel boredom? Early on, a lot of Father's plan was just long gaps between actions. I observed and studied humans early on, and when the others were created, we'd all try and find ways to alleviate boredom. Father _did_ create some of us to be closer to human than we'd care to admit."

Hawkeye nodded and replied, "I guess that makes sense, I just didn't take you to study something that was unimportant to your father's plan." Selim shrugged at that and turned to look at the street signs.

"Just because Father planned it out, didn't mean that he could predict everything. He certainly didn't expect the Ishvalans to discover the Nationwide Transmutation Circle or figure out how to counter it. I learned English in case Father needed someone fluent in it. Oh, look. Here's the place."

The two Amestrians started walking down the street, looking for number twelve. Both were surprised when numbers eleven and thirteen had nothing between. Selim looked around in confusion, before turning to Hawkeye, "Are you _sure_ you read the address correctly?" Hawkeye fished out the note and handed it to Selim. He glanced at it to confirm that it did indeed say that **The Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place**. Selim looked up when he heard Hawkeye gasp, and immediately saw what surprised her. Between numbers eleven and thirteen, another house was pushing the two apart. _Alchemy could NOT do anything like this_ , Selim thought as he watched the building. From all the reaction from the neighbors, he assumed that they couldn't feel anything happening. When the building had fully emerged, Selim and Hawkeye walked up the steps and knocked on the door. When it opened, they entered.

Selim kept it to himself, but the house made him feel uncomfortable. He remembered stories he'd heard from children who were now grandparents or families he'd lived with who had liked telling scary stories, about houses people didn't come back from. He shrugged it off. _We're here to meet the Order. Those stories aren't real,_ and his hidden worries were immediately put to rest when he saw an older, red-headed woman hurrying down the hallway towards them. He recognized her as Molly Weasley, the mother of several of Potter's friends, and a member of the Order. As he saw her, he was immediately reminded of his own mother and relaxed slightly. That stopped when Mrs. Weasley reached them and spoke to Hawkeye.

"Oh, hello. You must be the alchemist from Amestris. I'm Molly Weasley. We're glad you made it, because there's a meeting tonight and we can bring you up to date on what's happening."

Captain Hawkeye smiled kindly at Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you for that, Mrs. Weasley. However, I'm only here to make sure that Selim got here safe. He's the alchemist that Mr. Dumbledore needs."

Mrs. Weasley's expression dropped. It looked more like surprise and fury. Selim instantly reevaluated his idea that Mrs. Weasley was like his mother. She was definitely more forceful. However, Selim still needed to make a good impression. He stepped forward and put out his hand to shake.

"Hello ma'am. I'm Selim Bradley. It's very nice to meet you."

Mrs. Weasley certainly wasn't happy that he was so young, but Selim didn't care. He could still perform the job he'd been ordered to do by his government. Mrs. Weasley wasn't his mother or his superior, she had no say in what he could or could not do. She seemed to realize this as well, and sighed. "All right, I'll show you where your room is. Follow me, please."

Selim and Hawkeye followed the Weasley matriarch upstairs and down a hallway lined with doors. As they walked, Selim took in the state of the house. _Either nobody's lived here in a long time, or somebody is a terrible housekeeper,_ he thought. Then, he noticed whispering and saw eyes peeking through a door that was cracked open slightly. They caught him looking and closed it.

When they arrived at their room, Selim and Captain Hawkeye set their things down. Mrs. Weasley left after saying, "We'll be having the meeting after dinner." Selim started pulling out materials for a letter, and saw Hawkeye staring at him.

"What?"

"Are you going to talk to the other kids? They aren't much older than you are."

Selim nodded in affirmation. "I'll talk to them once I've gotten this letter written. I promised Mother that I'd write her as soon as I'd arrived."

Hawkeye accepted that, and said she was going to speak to some of the Order members, before leaving the room. Selim pulled some paper out of his bag and fished for a pen before sitting down to write. He'd just written the words, _Dear Mother_ , before he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find three teenagers on the other side. From the briefing, he identified them as Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Ginerva Weasley. He stared at them for a moment before asking, "Can I help you?"

Granger spoke up first, "We were just curious about who's staying here and wanted to find out about them." Selim couldn't really see an issue with that and replied.

"I'm Selim, I'm here with a colleague from Amestris for a few days, and I'm an exchange student attending Hogwarts this fall."

The male Weasley frowned, "Amestris? Don't they practice alchemy there instead of magic?"

Selim nodded and answered the question, "Yes, we do. I'm here to study magic for the year, and if everything goes well, then someone will spend a year in Amestris learning alchemy."

The briefing had said Granger was always thirsty for knowledge, and she asked her question.

"I've read books about Amestris. What's it like?"

Selim gave them a humorous smile. "It's much more peaceful than it was before I was born, that's for sure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I promised my mother I'd write her when I got here."

Ginny frowned. "That blonde woman isn't your mother?"

"No, she's a colleague. Excuse me."

The three teens stepped back as Selim closed the door to the room. It may have been a little rude to end the conversation like that, but he could talk to them later. He wanted to get his letter done.

-Line Break-

Harry Potter may have been in trouble for using magic outside of Hogwarts, at risk of being expelled, and completely in the dark on what was happening with Voldemort, but as Mrs. Weasley led him to his friends, he felt better knowing that he might get some answers. As they walked up the stairs, Harry noticed a boy who looked to be around thirteen at the top. The boy wore expensive-looking Muggle clothes, had black hair, and what looked like a faded mark on his forehead, it looked like a large dot. He seemed to stick to the darker parts of the hallway, and as they passed him, he felt a strange pressure coming from him.

"Who-"

"We'll explain later, Harry. If Ron and Hermione have spoken to him, they can explain as well." She said. Harry accepted this, and they reached the room, Mrs. Weasley left to return to the meeting and the strange boy followed her. Harry entered the room, only for Hermione to immediately hug him and apologize profusely for being unable to explain anything to him in letters. Ron was able to calm her down, apologizing as well for being unhelpful with information, due to Dumbledore making them swear not to tell.

"He seemed to think it was best. Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right."

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles-"

"Yeah? Have either of you been attacked by dementors this summer?"

The argument with Ron and Hermione, and his rant about how he could handle himself upsetting them both was cathartic, and he calmed down enough to ask a question that they could answer.

"So, who's that boy I saw in the hall?"

Ron responded first, "That's Selim. He's an alchemist and an exchange student from Amestris."

Harry blinked, "You mean like the Philosopher's Stone?"

Hermione stepped in for that explanation.

"Amestris is a nation of alchemists. It used to be a military state until about thirteen years ago, when it started negotiating with other countries instead of fighting with them."

"So, why's he here? At the Order's headquarters?"

"We don't know, mate. There's a woman here who isn't his mother, but he arrived with her. Maybe she's part of the Order."

That was more than Harry had known before. When the twins and Ginny showed up, he learned more about who was in the Order and was shocked that Snape was a part of it. He also learned that Percy had abandoned his family for his Ministry career, and that the Daily Prophet was discrediting him and Dumbledore, before Mrs. Weasley came to call them for dinner.

-Line Break-

Selim helped the adults clear up for dinner and glanced over at the door when one member, Nymphadora Tonks, tripped over an umbrella stand and woke a supposedly sentient painting of the homeowner's deceased mother. It was somewhat disturbing to see that wizards seemed to do this with all paintings, or at least of those who were dead. He thought that it would disturb Edward and Alphonse more, though. He noticed Potter and his friends come in, and watched Harry speak with the homeowner, a Sirius Black, who had been falsely accused of killing thirteen non-magical people and was wanted by the Ministry. The briefing had mentioned that Black was Potter's godfather, which explained why the two spoke more like family than friends. Selim heard Mrs. Weasley shout at some of her children and moved out of the way as the dishes that would be served for dinner flew through the air to the table, with mixed results that ended in a mess. Mrs. Weasley repaired the damage with her wand, _another difference between magic and alchemy_ , Selim thought, and they proceeded to eat. Tonks was apparently a shape-shifter, and Selim was reminded of Envy. A glance at Hawkeye showed that she thought the same thing. Then, Ron decided to ask about his life at home.

"Well, it's just me and my mother, my uncle taught me alchemy when I was very young, but he is always traveling to learn more, and this is the first time I've ever left the country."

"Really, mate? There isn't a school for alchemy? There's no Statute of Secrecy for it?"

"No, there isn't. Anyone can learn alchemy, if they have the knowledge for it. Another thing is that they say alchemy is for the people, with no reward. Most alchemists have other jobs. The woman who taught my uncle is a housewife. Her husband is a butcher. I've met them both, they're nice people. I do question how my uncles survived studying under her. She is terrifying when she needs to be. She fought a bear on Briggs mountain once and stole food from it."

"Bloody hell."

Eventually, Mrs. Weasley tried to get everyone to go to bed, while Sirius stated that Harry deserved to know what was going on. Mrs. Weasley allowed it reluctantly but told the other kids to leave. Naturally, this led to an argument between the kids and Mrs. Weasley.

"Hang on!"

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?"

The argument went on for a few minutes before one person brought up as an argument,

"Selim looks thirteen, but you're not telling him to leave!"

That was when Selim decided to step in. He was tired of the petty arguing and wanted to hear what Harry wanted to know. He pulled out his pocket watch and tossed it on the table. That attracted everyone's attention, and he spoke.

"My name is Selim Bradley, and I'm being allowed to stay because I'm a State Alchemist for the Amestrian Military."

Immediately, others spoke up with their questions.

"YOU'RE IN THE MILITARY?"

"Are you qualified for this job?"

"Why would they send you?"

Selim rolled his eyes. _Stupid humans_ , he thought, _judging just what they see_. He spoke again, "I'm qualified because I passed the exam, I was asked to come to keep an eye on things, and I have proven myself in the past."

Hermione spoke up, "Is Miss Hawkeye a State Alchemist?"

"No, I'm just a soldier. I was sent to make sure Selim arrived safely."

"Why is the there someone from Amestris here. Won't the Ministry be suspicious?"

Sirius answered that one.

"They asked for an alchemist to visit to create political ties to Amestris in order to save face after Cedric Diggory died last year. Dumbledore asked them to send an alchemist who could keep an eye on things at Hogwarts this year."

Selim nodded. "I'm supposed to keep an eye on Harry and get information from Voldemort's followers' children, if possible."

Hermione seemed satisfied with that answer.

Harry proceeded to ask his questions, and Mrs. Weasley eventually were able to sent them to bed.

-Line Break-

Harry started walking upstairs, when he saw Fred and George holding an Extendable Ear.

"What are you doing?"

George spoke softly. "Selim and Miss Hawkeye are having a meeting of their own. They aren't speaking English, but we put a Translation Charm on the Ear, so we can understand them. Want to join?"

Harry agreed and they listened.

"They all seem curious about the situation. You'll need to be careful."

"I know. I don't think that knowing about the homunculi would be good. I'll need to watch what I do."

"Granger seems the most curious about you, be sure to keep her from suspecting anything."

"I have my stories ready, Captain. There is nothing to worry about from there."

"Good. Make sure that-"

The voices cut off suddenly. Pulling up the Ear, all three boys say that it appeared to have been neatly cut. They looked at each other, before they hurried to their rooms to think on what they had heard.


	3. Questions and Answers

**Well, I'm back with another chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, following, and favoriting!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

"And when we listened in on their conversation, we heard them talking about keeping something from the Order. I think Selim called it homunculi, or something similar."

As Harry and his friends cleaned the drawing room of the house, he recounted what he, Fred, and George had overheard the previous night.

Ron frowned. "I dunno, mate. Maybe it's just some military secret that is top secret, like another reason for them coming that isn't something the Order needs to know." He continued to spray doxycide at the curtains of the room. Hermione chose that moment to offer her opinion.

"Harry, I don't know what they were talking about, but are you _sure_ you want to get involved in it? You've already got enough on your plate with your hearing and You-Know-Who being back."

"They mentioned you by name, Hermione. Hawkeye said something like, 'Granger seems the most curious about you. Be sure to keep her from suspecting anything.' What do you think now?"

The fact that the Amestrians were actively trying to keep something from the Order and the three of them definitely sparked Hermione's interest. "The term homunculi sounds familiar. I think I read it in a book back in first year, when we were searching for what Flamel and Dumbledore had hidden in Hogwarts. I don't remember what the definition was, though."

"Well, lets look it up once we get back to Hogwarts. There's something odd about Selim. Did either of you feel this weird pressure when you first met him?"

Hermione and Ron nodded in affirmation, and they returned to de-doxying the curtains, just as Sirius and Mrs. Weasley entered.

-Line Break-

Selim may have become more open minded about humans than he had in the past, but he was still annoyed. The minute he'd seen what he assumed to be a listening device hanging from the landing, He'd cut it with his shadows, but he still had no idea who had been listening or what they'd heard. He'd hidden it from Hawkeye, but the idea that even his allies in Britain were spying on him infuriated him. As shadows crawled up the walls of his room, he reined in his anger. Whoever had been listening would be suspicious, but Selim still had other things to do.

Grabbing the letter he'd written the day before, he left his room to get directions to the post office. He entered a room where Potter, Granger, and the Weasley twins and youngest boy were cleaning a room. Selim noticed Mrs. Weasley and Sirius Black were investigating a desk that was shaking and rattling. Sirius left to shut the screaming portrait from the previous night up and answer the door, and Selim stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Weasley. Could you give me directions to the post office? I have a letter to send."

Mrs. Weasley looked confused for a moment, then explained.

"Selim, I'm afraid I don't know where the post office is. We use owls to send letters."

Selim was surprised by that but took it in stride. "Could you show me how to use one? I really need to deliver this."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and went to go get an owl for him. Selim waited in the room when he heard someone ask, "Who are you writing to?"

It was Granger. Selim figured that this would have happened at some point and shrugged it off. "Oh, just my mother. She wanted me to write her as soon as I got here." Mrs. Weasley returned, and Hermione went back to cleaning. Selim fastened the letter to the owl, and told it where to take it, with directions on how to do so by Mrs. Weasley. After the owl flew off, Selim turned to leave when she called after him.

"Could you help with the cleaning, please? We need all the help we can get."

Selim had no real objections to this, though he had no experience with magical pest removal, and began to transmute the dust in the room into piles for sweeping. He could feel the eyes of the others in the room on him, but he just ignored them.

-Line Break-

Selim wasn't forced to clean all day and he finished a good hour or two before everyone else had, after he'd dusted every room in the house with alchemy. He was in his room, looking over his alchemy books for ideas of how magic could work, when he heard the door open.

"Excuse me, Selim?"

It was Hermione Granger. Selim suppressed a sigh and turned to face her.

"Yes, Hermione? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me about Amestris, what it's like, and maybe a bit about alchemy?"

She seemed a little nervous. Selim figured it was because unlike at school, he wasn't obligated to answer her questions. He honestly didn't want to answer them. However, he decided to do so, anyway.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, what's Amestris like? I haven't read many books about it, and I know it must be different than England."

"Well, it's very diverse. It's very cold up north, and the southern, eastern, and western areas are much warmer. I live in Central, which is the capital city of Amestris, but I sometimes travel to other parts of the country to assist in matters of the state."

"I see. I'm sorry if this is a bit personal for you, but you mentioned your mother earlier. Do you have any other family?"

Under the bed, Selim's shadows thrashed angrily at the question, but he kept his face calm.

"I just live with my mother. My father was killed not long after I was born, during a coup. I have two uncles, they taught me alchemy. One of them was a State Alchemist when he was younger, but he's retired now. Now, he and his brother travel to other countries to learn about their alchemy."

"Wow, I'm sorry about your father. Your uncles sound very interesting, and learning alchemy from different countries sounds amazing."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, I had a question from a book I read. It said that the previous leader of your country was killed in a coup, his name was King Bradley. I was wondering-"

"If we were related? Sort of. My biological parents lost their lives in the coup. I never knew my mother and my father was an alchemist who forsook me for his goals during the coup. Fuhrer Bradley's wife adopted me after her husband and son died in the coup as well. She's always been my mother as far as I'm concerned, and even though I never met Fuhrer Bradley, I consider him to be my father."

"Oh, I see. Thank you, Selim."

As Hermione got up, Selim remembered something else. "Hey, didn't you have some questions about alchemy?" Internally he screamed. _What are you doing? This human got answers to her annoying questions, why are you letting her stay?_ He winced, but hid it. "So what do you want to know about alchemy?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could explain how it works. I saw you move all the dust in the drawing room into piles. How did you do that?"

"Alchemy is the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. I was able to deconstruct the dust in the rooms and reconstruct it into a pile for sweeping. To do that, I'd need to know what elements were in the dust, how much there was, and how much to put in each pile."

"That sounds confusing"

"It's really not. There are several laws of alchemy, but the all-encompassing law is the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Essentially, I can't create something from nothing. In addition, I can't turn something into something else unless they have similar characteristics. I can't turn the bed into a table. I don't have the right materials."

"So, it isn't like Transfiguration, then?"

"No, I guess not."

"All I knew about alchemy before, was that the Philosopher's Stone could create gold and produced the Elixir of Life, which makes the drinker immortal."

Selim stiffened. _Wizards have made Philosopher's Stones?,_ he thought. The way it was described confused him, though.

"I've never heard of Philosopher's Stones creating an elixir that made people immortal before, and it's illegal to create gold in Amestris. It's one of the three most important laws of alchemy."

"What are the other laws?"

"One is to obey authority. The military for me, or my uncles. Alchemy can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. The other is a taboo among alchemists, called human transmutation. I won't explain it further."

"Why?"

"Because it is forbidden for a reason. Have I answered all of your questions?"

Hermione was surprised by Selim's change in attitude, but nodded and got up to leave. However, before she reached the door, she turned to ask one more question.

"I've read that alchemists need circles to transmute, like wizards and witches need wands to cast spells, but you just clap. Why is that?"

Selim didn't respond right away, his mind going back to forcing Mustang through the portal, and seeing the Truth himself. He snapped himself out of it.

"It's a rare gift. My uncles can do it. So can their teacher. I know a State Alchemist who also can transmute without a circle. We're not sure why. Does that answer your question?"

Hermione nodded, thanked him, and left. Selim laid back on his bed, and mentally set aside his answers to questions he was sure to be asked again.

 **And Scene! I meant to write this earlier, but I forgot. However, let me explain one bit of my headcanon for Selim using alchemy without a circle. I'm think that when Pride forced Mustang to open the portal, he saw the Truth as well. Remember, Father said that the Truth takes things for the reasons for attempting human transmutation. Ed's leg and Al's body for their mother, Izumi's insides for her child, Mustang's eyesight for his vision for the future. Pride opened the portal for Father to get what he wanted. I think that because of that, Truth took the only thing Father had given Pride, his container. Also, anyone who saw the Truth was transported to Father, even after the gold-toothed doctor activated the circle. Mustang and Pride were also transported after Mustang was forced through the gate. If that doesn't make sense, I'm sorry, but that's what I think. I terms of his false backstory he told Hermione, I used some altered parts from the Promised Day, as Father was an alchemist, and according to the FMA Wiki, Pride did see Wrath as more of a father figure than Father. Also in headcanon, in Selim's mind, he's put other humans in Amestris on the same level as him, like Ed, Al, Mustang, Hawkeye, and Mrs. Bradley. I'll explore some of Selim's backstory between the Promised Day and the events of the story in later chapters.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	4. Reverse Spies

**I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Over the next few days, Selim continued to help around the house. Mrs. Weasley had given him a quick lesson in magical pest removal, and he was soon spraying doxycide at the drapes with the rest of the wizards. While Selim was sure that the older members of the Order were still questioning his qualifications as a State Alchemist, he felt that he'd still get along better with them than the younger generation in the house. The kids were obviously curious about him and would ask him about his family. He'd give then answers that wouldn't compromise his secret and tried to steer them in other directions for questions. He wasn't used to being so open with non-military. The only real problem came when Ron Weasley asked him another question.

"Selim, what's with that dot on your forehead?"

Selim had expected people to ask and had a story that he'd already told Hawkeye for her to confirm, so he wasn't worried.

"It's just a birthmark. I've always had it."

"Really, mate? It looks way too circular to be a normal birthmark."

"And Harry's scar looks way too much like lightning to be a normal scar. What's your point?"

Ron had attempted to explain how Harry's scar wasn't normal, but Selim was done with the conversation and left to speak with Hawkeye. He used the shadows of the dining room they were cleaning to keep an eye on their conversation.

"I'm telling you both, something's up with Bradley."

"Honestly Harry, you can't just poke into his conversations! He's in the military and spying on him and Miss Hawkeye will only get you in trouble. Why can't you just mind your own business for once?"

"When has my poking not saved Hogwarts from Voldemort?"

"I'm with Hermione on this one, mate. Sure, our investigating the Chamber of Secrets and Sirius Black helped, but it really wasn't our business about what Fluffy was guarding in first year."

"You two were just as curious about the Philosopher's Stone and Nicholas Flamel as I was!"

"Yes, Harry, I know but really, you don't always need to find people's secrets. Some people have good reasons to keep them hidden."

"Hermione, you were the one who asked him all those questions the day after he arrived."

"I was just curious about what life in Amestris is like!"

Selim stopped listening after that. He had a feeling that Harry was under the impression that everything to do with Voldemort concerned him. He'd need to keep on his toes. Harry would do anything for answers, and his upcoming trial probably wasn't helping his nerves. _It's definitely rich coming from me,_ he thought, _but Harry's certainly arrogant in his achievements._

-Line Break-

Harry pushed open the door to Selim's room. He had a few more questions for Selim and knew when he wasn't cleaning, he was reading or writing. The boy glanced up as he heard the door open.

"Harry, can I help you?"

"I just had a few questions about you and Amestris. Are you okay with that?"

Selim's body language and expression showed nothing, but the pressure coming off him shifted, and the room suddenly felt darker than it had a moment ago.

"Go ahead. What are your questions?"

"Well, on the first night, you said you were a State Alchemist. What does a State Alchemist do?"

"It really depends. I mostly research foreign forms of alchemy with my uncles, like alkahestry in the country of Xing. State Alchemists are automatically given the rank of major when they pass the certification exam, but laws were put into place several years ago keeping State Alchemists who are under the age of eighteen from serving in war. I do sometimes travel around the country and help the military police keep the peace internally, but Amestris is more peaceful now, so I don't travel often."

"State Alchemists don't have to be of age to enlist?"

"The exam is very difficult. Alchemists have spent their entire lives studying for it and still haven't passed. I've been learning about alchemy since I was very young and passed the exam at age eight. That beat my uncle's record of passing it at twelve."

"Why did you join the military?"

"My biological father took part in a coup that cost my country's leader and his son their lives. My mother adopted me after that because I'd lost my parents, and she'd lost her husband and son. I joined the military to make up for the things my father did."

"One more question. Is there anything about Voldemort that you know that I should know?"

"No. If I felt it involved you, I would tell you."

Harry felt a little upset that he'd have to trust Selim's judgement on what he should know, but he didn't let it show. He was about to leave when he heard Selim ask him a question.

"Why were you listening to Captain Hawkeye and I the first night?"

Harry stepped back. He hadn't been expecting Selim to figure out that he'd been one of the ones listening to the conversation.

"I was just curious about if it involved the Order meeting at all, that's all."

Selim didn't look convinced but nodded and went back to his book. Harry decided it would be best if he left then and there, before Selim asked any more questions of his own.

-Line Break-

After Harry was cleared of charges, Selim noticed several things around the house. First, the constant _cracks_ of the Weasley twins magically teleporting around the house got annoying fast. Second, Sirius Black was certainly not as pleased with Harry not being expelled as he should have. And third, wizards were seriously not athletic. Selim hadn't even broken a sweat with cleaning a cupboard on the third floor, and he had a feeling Hermione and Ron were going to beg him to teach them alchemy. Hermione, for the knowledge, and Ron for an easier way to clean rooms in the house. _Pathetic. These wizards can't even clean without magic_ , he thought, _these wizards will never be able to learn alchemy. Not from Ed, Al, or Mrs. Curtis. They're too weak._ He was drawn out of his thoughts by a letter dropped on his lap. He looked up to see Ron standing in front of him.

"It's this year's booklist. Mum's planning to buy them in Diagon Alley, and Miss Hawkeye said she'd help. You should give that to her, so she knows what to get."

Selim nodded in thanks and left the room to turn the list over to Hawkeye. On his way back, he noticed the crazy non-chimera that lived in the house carrying a bag of things they'd thrown out, when something fell out.

A locket.

The creature didn't notice the locket fall and Selim would have just left it, except for one thing. He could sense something odd about that locket, it reminded him of a Philosopher's Stone. The energy was weak, but Selim could feel the soul inside the locket. It felt weird though, like it was only a fraction of a true soul's power. Selim tried to open it, but it seemed stuck. Resolving to inform Hawkeye about it, he proceeded to his room.

-Line Break-

A few hours later, Selim was down in the dining area with the Order, the other children, and Hawkeye celebrating Ron and Hermione being appointed to prefects, who as near as Selim could tell, were in charge of making sure the younger kids followed the rules. As the party went on, Selim walked over to Hawkeye to inform her of what he'd found.

" _Captain, I need to talk to you."_

" _What is it?"_

" _I found this locket earlier today. It's very weak, but it still feels like a Philosopher's Stone."_

" _You think that there's one inside the locket?"_

" _No, it's too weak. I couldn't use it to heal, or use my powers, or transmute anything. It feels like part of a soul, not a full one. Besides, it won't open anyway."_

" _Leave it here. It isn't yours."_

" _Alright ma'am. I'm still going to ask Ed and Al about it, though."_

After the conversation, Selim sought out the house elf, and handed the locket to him. The little creature snatched it from him without thanks, and muttered insults, but Selim didn't care and simply walked upstairs to make sure his things were packed. As he did, he heard crying and a door open, and he rushed over to see Harry staring into the drawing room from earlier. Inside the room, Mrs. Weasley was crying and trying to get rid of what appeared to be Ron's body. However, with every attempt she made, the body would turn into someone else's, from Bill Weasley, to Mr. Weasley, to the twins, to someone Selim didn't know, to Harry. The real Harry was calling to her, trying to get someone else to get rid of the creature. As Lupin, Sirius, and Moody entered the room, Selim decided Harry didn't need to see what happened next and turned to guide him away. As they walked, Selim broke the silence.

"Harry, what was that thing?"

"That was a boggart. They're shapeshifters that take the form of your greatest fear."

Selim was reminded of Envy. The shapeshifter had liked using the appearances of his opponent's friends and loved ones to throw them off. It was usually very effective. However, when Selim reached his own room and bid Harry goodnight, he couldn't help but wonder, _what would the boggart have looked like to him?_ The question stayed with him until he fell asleep.

 **And that is another chapter done. I'm sorry if the story seems rushed right now, I have more planned at Hogwarts. Until the next time.**


	5. Memories of the Past

**Hello Everybody and welcome back to Secrets and Shadows. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, so hopefully this chapter will make up for it. I've seen some reviews that have pointed out some problems with the Golden Trios' interactions with Selim, and I'll address that in this chapter. Now, on with the story.**

Harry turned to Ron as soon as both of them were ready for bed. He pulled his covers over him and was about to lay down when he heard Ron's voice.

"Harry, why are you so suspicious of Selim?"

Harry glanced over at his friend.

"I get a weird feeling off him. You felt that weird pressure around him. It's not just that, though. There's…something else."

Ron frowned at that. "You mean like when you're around You-Know-Who?"

"Not exactly. It feels a little like Tom Riddle's diary, only slightly different. After all the trouble that the diary caused back in second year, I'm going to be suspicious of anything like that."

Ron nodded and laid back in his bed. "I guess you have a point. Do you reckon that this 'homunculi', has anything to do with it, or the Order?

"Maybe. They were saying that the Order couldn't know about the homunculi. Maybe it's the weapon that Voldemort (Ron winced) wants? Perhaps Amestris wants to get their hands on it for themselves?"

"I dunno, mate. I just think that Selim seems nice. He's probably interested in learning about our culture, seeing as it's so different from his."

"I guess that could be it. I'm kind of surprised that you're interested in his culture. Hermione would be, sure, but it's still Muggle culture."

"I heard that Amestris is behind other countries in terms of technology. I think their calendar is different, too. For them, 1980 is 1900, or something like that."

Harry shrugged, and laid back in his bed. "I just don't know why I need a bodyguard."

"Considering what we get up to each year, I'm not surprised."

Selim woke up early the next morning. He stretched and dressed, before packing his bedclothes for the trip to Hogwarts. When he left his room, he saw Hawkeye in the hallway.

"Is everyone else still asleep? I thought the train left at eleven?"

Hawkeye nodded and grabbed her luggage.

"You're right, but since the Weasleys don't have a car at all, let alone one big enough to fit everyone, we'll be walking. That means we all need to be on guard."

The two Amestrians entered the kitchen and Selim picked up the conversation.

"Dumbledore said that Voldemort is lying low. I doubt he'll try anything in public, but I still see why a guard is needed. I'll be discreet, but I'll still have the shadows to keep a lookout."

Hawkeye nodded, and the two continued checking their things until the rest of the house awoke and prepared to leave. Selim gritted his teeth as he heard the portrait of Sirius Black's mother start shrieking abuse at everyone in the house. _What I wouldn't give to take whatever animates that thing and destroy it,_ he thought. _Everybody would thank me for it, too._

Eventually, after the other occupants of the house were ready to go, Selim and the others left for King's Cross. He noticed that Hawkeye looked a little startled and was going to ask, before he noticed that the dog that was accompanying them was being referred to as Sirius. _Of course, the Nina Tucker incident,_ he thought to himself. He'd heard about it from Lust, and later from Edward and Alphonse. It didn't bother him that much, though. Something of a side effect of working with a shapeshifter. Selim was further reminded of Envy when he saw Tonks disguised as an elderly lady. Certainly, _that_ didn't help Hawkeye relax, but she'd probably seen worse in Ishval, and Selim trusted her to keep it together.

As they walked, Selim distracted himself from the journey by observing everything around him, both to watch for danger, and all the new things. England and the rest of the world may not have had much in the way of alchemy, but they _more_ than made up for it with technology. Selim couldn't help but make a mental note to write to Fuhrer Grumman and recommend that they try to form alliances with the nonmagical rest of the world. At four hundred years old, Selim didn't see a lot of things that intrigued him. The technological advancements of the rest of the world genuinely made him feel excited.

After twenty minutes, they reached the station, and Selim was shocked that the entrance to the platform was walking through a wall. Once he passed through, things felt more familiar. The locomotive pulling the train was powered by steam, rather than fuel. The platform didn't have technology telling departure times, and the uniforms of the porters seemed older, somehow.

As Selim gathered his things to board the train, he felt Mrs. Weasley grab his hand and pull him into a hug. It felt odd to be hugged by someone who wasn't his mother, but he quickly adjusted and hugged her back before he was rushed aboard the train. In the rush, he'd lost sight of Harry and the others, but he didn't mind. Since Voldemort was laying low for the moment, he doubted that an attack on the train would happen. All the same, he'd find Harry soon enough. He wasn't being paid to slack off at his job.

He found Harry and Ginny in the last car of the train, with two other students, that were introduced as Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. After he stowed his luggage, Selim sat down and Neville spoke up.

"So, why are you going to Hogwarts now?"

"Your country recently reached out to Amestris for diplomatic relations. They said that they could share knowledge and if an alchemist attended a school here for a year, and it went well, they would set up a regular transfer program between our countries to exchange knowledge and culture."

Neville seemed satisfied with this answer, and the trip continued. They bought food when a cart of snacks was brought by, and Selim was interested in the Chocolate Frogs. He asked several questions of the witches and wizards about how it was possible for the frogs to be alive. When Ron and Hermione arrived from the prefect's car, they informed the others about the identities of the other prefects, including one Draco Malfoy, the son of one of Voldemort's followers.

Not long after, the compartment door opened, and three more people entered, one being Malfoy. Harry clearly disliked the boy and spoke before Selim could.

"What?" he said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," Malfoy drawled. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Malfoy had noticed Selim by this point and waited for the other's laughter to die down before speaking again.

"You. You're the exchange student from Amestris, right? The alchemist?"

Selim nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I'm Selim Bradley. And you are?"

The Slytherin smirked. "Name's Malfoy. _Draco_ Malfoy. I'm a prefect for Slytherin House, which means that I'm in charge of making sure that all the new students for Slytherin know where to go and what to do. If you joined us, I'm sure you could find someone who is also interested in alchemy."

Harry and the others were watching Selim and Malfoy, clearly wondering why he was being polite to the Slytherin. Selim ignored their stares and continued the conversation.

"I'm supposed to be Sorted with the other new students, so where I end up isn't completely my decision to make, but even if I am in a different house, we can still discuss alchemy. It isn't against school rules for people in different houses to fraternize, is it?"

Malfoy looked surprised at the compromise, but also glad that Selim had accepted. "It isn't against the rules, but the other Houses avoid interacting with Slytherin."

Selim smirked. "I'm not a regular student and besides, me being here is supposed to create new ties between our countries."

Malfoy nodded. "If I were you, though, I'd avoid hanging around Potter and his friends. All of them claim that You-Know-Who is back. Completely mad."

Selim frowned. "I'm not letting prejudices or rumors get in the way of the people I meet. I can't see how one person is better that another."

His face hid his true thoughts. _I'm only interacting with you because it will help my mission. Nothing more. Don't overstep with me, Malfoy._

Harry couldn't stay silent anymore. "How can you talk to him! He's a Slytherin!"

Selim turned to face him. "I'm not prejudiced against them like others. Besides, what's wrong with me interacting with him?"

Malfoy spoke up. "I seem to have touched a nerve. Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.

Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, Crabbe and Goyle lumbering in his wake. Harry glared at Selim.

"Why are you talking to Slytherins? They hate Gryffindors, and the other Houses as well."

Selim shrugged. "Why does everybody hate Slytherin so much?"

"Because more Dark wizards come out of that House than any other! And Malfoy is awful. In first year, he challenged me to a duel, and didn't even show, but tipped off Filch to get us in trouble. He's also bigoted against Muggleborns like Hermione and part-humans like Lupin!"

Selim sat back as he processed that information. Draco Malfoy was clearly arrogant, that was painfully obvious. However, the prejudice from the other Houses might have caused Slytherin to become tight-knit in the first place. Malfoy might also have been prejudiced against those he deemed as beneath him, but if his parents were like that too, maybe he didn't know another way to be.

It was like him and Father. Father looked down on humans, and Selim had done the same from learning from Father. However, that was only from learning one point of view. Greed had been created from Father and learned from him but had still made human friends after he ran away. Wrath might not have been around Father as often as the other homunculi, but he'd still looked down on humans. However, Selim knew that Wrath had cared for his wife for more reason than simply because he was allowed to choose her himself. And him? He'd been raised again by the woman he called his mother and had learned how to be human. He'd evolved beyond simply being Pride.

Selim remained quiet for the remainder of the trip, deep in thought. When they arrived, he followed Harry and the others to a carriage being pulled by what looked like a chimera of a horse and a lizard. He noticed Harry asking if others saw it and was asking if the others saw it. He nodded when asked and noted that Luna also could see the creature. As they headed to the school, Selim was adding more questions to his list.

When Selim entered the Great Hall, he ignored the tables, instead walking up to the Head Table to ask where he should go. Dumbledore told him to wait by the table, and once the first years were Sorted, he would be as well.

The singing hat intrigued him, and Selim briefly wondered if it possessed a blood seal like Al's armor had. When the sorting was over, Dumbledore stood.

"To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands-welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. There is only one thing I would like to say before we begin our fine feast."

That was Selim's cue to walk over to the hat. As he did, he heard Dumbledore continue.

"This is Selim Bradley, and alchemist from the country of Amestris. He's come here to learn our ways, and if this year with him proves to be a success, then Hogwarts and Amestris will start arranging for more transfers to learn magic from Hogwarts and alchemy from Amestris. But first, we need to Sort Mr. Bradley."

Selim put the hat on his head and waited. He'd observed the reactions of the first years and was not at all surprised when the hat spoke to him.

" _Hello, Pride the homunculus."_

 _How do you-_

" _I can see into your head, your memories and personality in order to Sort you into the correct House. 400 years of memories, this will take a while."_

 _Alright, but I don't want you telling anyone my secret._

" _Of course, your secrets are safe with me, Mr. Bradley."_

Selim began to have flashes of memory, things he'd not thought of in a long time. Adoptive families, missions for Father, the plan for the Nationwide Transmutation Circle, everything. Selim calmly sat and watched. That is, until they reached more recent memories.

" _It's pathetic. You're a disgrace."_

 _Pride was distantly aware of Edward Elric breaking free of the shadows. He gasped and stumbled back away from the alchemist. Edward clapped his hands together for a transmutation and pressed one hand against his container's forehead._

" _He'll kill me!"_

" _If you think that, then you still don't understand Edward Elric."_

 _Edward was screaming, whether from rage or pain, Pride didn't know. He started screaming as well, panicked that the Fullmetal Alchemist was going to kill him right there. As Edward reversed his attack, Pride's mind went to the image of the one thing he wanted in that moment._

 _The image of Wrath and Mrs. Bradley looking at him, like how normal human parents looked at their children, with love._

" _Stop this!"_

 _But Edward didn't stop, and Pride knew that he could see his thoughts in that moment, how scared he was._

" _Stop this!"_

 _The image was growing fuzzy, but Pride could still see Wrath and his wife smiling at him. He didn't want Father to attain god's powers, or to kill humans. He just wanted_ them.

" _Please stop!"_

Selim ripped the hat off his head, breathing heavily. Being forced to relive the worst moments of his life was not what he'd been expecting, and he tried to calm himself down. Looking up, he saw the entire student body of Hogwarts staring at him.

"Are you alright?"

Selim turned to see the deputy headmistress, Professor McGonagall looking at him with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine. I just saw some bad memories."

Selim put the hat back on and waited.

" _I'm terribly sorry about that, Mr. Bradley."_

 _Can you just sort me now?_

" _I have a few more memories to look though, but I'll try to stay away from anything too traumatic, if I can."_

Selim saw more memory around him. It wasn't much, just the memories from after the Promised Day. However, one memory in particular stood out.

 _He was 3 years old, in his living room, with Mustang, Grumman, and Hawkeye. Hawkeye had a gun pointed at his face, and the Flame Alchemist had a transmutation glove on, ready to snap his fingers. Selim's mother stood behind them, looking worried for him._

 _Grumman stared down at him with a serious expression on his face. He spoke without a trace of emotion in his voice._

" _Give me a reason. Please. I don't want Mr. Elric's decision to spare you to be the wrong one."_

 _Selim wasn't really scared. He didn't want to die, or to be taken away from Mother, but he didn't want to fight them either. Sure, he could fend them off and escape, but that would only prove their point that he was a monster._

" _I can't. I can't prove that I've changed, b-but I've learned what it's like to be really human. I'm not the same as I used to be. Edward saw something in me worth saving and he chose to do that, even after everything I've done. I don't want to let down his expectation after he spared me."_

 _Grumman was quiet for a moment, then he spoke._

" _From what I've heard from Mustang, Edward Elric is usually a good judge of character in times like back then. So, here's what you need to do. Help the people. The homunculi started wars and hurt people to achieve their plan. If you help to fix that, then you will prove that you have changed for the better. Until then, we will be keeping an eye on you."_

 _The request would have been easy to fake, and then take revenge, but Selim had done it anyway. He liked his new life and didn't want to lose it. He was even able to convince his 'uncle' Alphonse to teach him alchemy, in order to help more people. By the time he was eight, helping the people was still something he regularly did, even after proving himself to Grumman three years prior._

 _Eight was also the age he gained his State Alchemist license. He'd learned the same things as his uncles, and also studied medical alchemy to augment the knowledge he'd gained from the gold-toothed doctor he'd assimilated on the Promised Day, as well as practicing KImblee's type of alchemy._

 _With knowledge from three different alchemists under his belt, one of whom had BEEN a State Alchemist, Selim passed the exam with flying colors. The fact that he could use his shadows to transmute from a distance hadn't hurt either. When Grumman asked why he chose to join, he responded, "It's something I wanted to do before the Promised Day, I just couldn't until now. It will make helping people much easier." Grumman chuckled, and handed him the pocket watch, and the document with his title: the Soulstone Alchemist._

Selim thought to the hat, _have you seen enough?_

" _Yes. You are loyal to your country's people, and you are very clever. You can be crafty and sly when you need to be. However, I can see that Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin are not for you. From the most recent memories, I can see you belong in-"_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Selim smiled, pulled the hat off his head, and went to join his Housemates for the year.

Dinner was an…interesting experience. Selim chuckled when he imagined how Edward would have reacted to the magically appearing food. And the ghosts. WHY had no one mentioned there were ghosts. However, unlike the souls in his Philosopher's Stone, the ghost, Sir Nicholas was self-aware and able to hold a conversation. Selim had a lot of questions for him, but resolved to ask them at a later date, as Sir Nicholas was being asked how the hat could tell dark things were coming, and the ghost seemed offended by Ron speaking with his mouth full. Selim _would_ have been disgusted, but he'd seen Gluttony eat, so he was fairly immune to it.

After the food disappeared, Dumbledore rose to give announcements about changes in staffing (apparently, the regular Care of Magical Creatures teacher was on vacation), that the Forbidden Forest was, in fact, forbidden, and that the caretaker, Mr. Filch had repeatedly asked Dumbledore to remind students to follow the rules, and that the list of banned items in the school was, in Dumbledore's words, 'extensive.'

Dumbledore was also about to talk about Quidditch (Selim's briefing had said it was a broomstick sport that Harry Potter was involved in, and that multiple attempts on his well-being had been made during the games in the past four years) when the other new teacher, who Harry said worked for the Minister of Magic, interrupted him to make a speech of her own.

The speech's meaning was obvious for those who listened, it meant that the Ministry of Magic thought that Dumbledore was making bad decisions at the school, and that Umbridge would shut him down whenever she could. Selim noticed that the meaning of the speech wasn't lost on Hermione, either. Harry and Ron hadn't paid attention, so she whispered what it meant to them. Once Umbridge finished her speech, Dumbledore picked up right where he left off and finished his announcements.

Selim felt a hand tap him on the shoulder and saw Hermione calling the first years to follow her and Ron. Getting up, he followed as well, through the moving paintings and changing staircases, until they reached a portrait of a fat woman. The painting turned out to be a door, and the students entered.

Not long after, Harry and Neville entered the Gryffindor common room. Selim looked around the room with hidden shadows, before he noticed that Harry seemed to have gotten into an argument with another boy. He sighed, and was about to ask what was happening, but Ron stepped in before he could. Selim decided that arguments and school punishments weren't what he needed to protect Harry from, and walked upstairs to bed with the other students. He changed into his bedclothes and laid back in his bed with the curtains shut. Selim stared at the ceiling and wondered how much bodyguarding he'd actually be doing that year.

Harry laid back in his bed in the fifth year's room. His eyes were almost closed, but not quite. The were still open enough to see the shadows in the room darken just slightly.

 **And that's a wrap for this chapter of Secrets and Shadows. Since I didn't put it at the top, I'll put it here; I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. I also used some lines from OotP and FMAB in this chapter. I'm sorry if my explanation for why the military knows Selim has his memories back was a little weird. I wasn't sure exactly what to write for that, but I liked the idea of Selim's backstory post-Promised Day being introduced via the Sorting Hat. Please don't hesitate to leave a review on what I can improve in the next chapter, and what you thought of this chapter. Until the next chapter!**


	6. First Day with Dolores

**Hello, and welcome back to another chapter of Secrets and Shadows! I apologize for not updating over spring break, but I'm here now. So, let's get started!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Selim woke early the next morning. He quickly dressed and walked down to the common room. While he couldn't spar with anybody at Hogwarts, he could still stay in shape. He stretched and ran through his morning exercises until a boy rushed out of the stairway to the bedrooms and hurried out of the portrait hole. Selim recognized him as the boy Harry had argued with the previous night and went back to his exercises. That is, until other students, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the common room. Deciding that staying close would be the best course of action, he shadowed them as they left for breakfast.

As they entered the Great Hall, Selim tuned out the trio's conversation when they sat down to eat. As they started on breakfast, teachers began walking up and down the tables, handing out schedules. Professor McGonagall reached Selim.

"Mr. Bradley, are you sure that you're alright?"

Selim guessed that she hadn't put off the sight of him hyperventilating after pulling off the Sorting Hat.

"I'm alright, Professor. I was just caught off guard by the memories. I'm feeling better now."

McGonagall seemed satisfied by this and told him that if he ever felt like he needed to calm down, he could go see Madam Pomfrey for a potion. Selim thanked her, and before she left, she explained that due to "special circumstances", he'd been placed in the fifth year's DADA class. He returned to his breakfast, before noticing a letter sitting by his plate. It was pink, with his name written in fancy script. Opening it, he read,

Mr. Bradley,

As you are a representative of Amestris, I felt that it would be a good idea for us to meet in order for me to bring you but to date on what is happening in the Wizarding World, and to establish what will be expected of you while you are in this country. I believe you are in my class later today, if you could inform me of when it would be convenient for us to meet by then, it would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Delores Jane Umbridge

Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic

Selim folded the note and glanced the Gryffindors around him.

"It's from Professor Umbridge. She wants to meet with me at some point in order to, 'bring me up to date on the situation.' She probably just wants to try and convince me that the Ministry knows what's best and that I shouldn't do anything wrong."

He put the note in his pocket and finished eating. Before he left the Great Hall, he walked to the staff table, and informed Umbridge that he was free to meet the next evening. Then, Selim turned and left the hall for his first class.

-Line Break-

Selim walked into DADA after several other classes. His other classes had been interesting, even if he couldn't perform the spells taught. Professor Flitwick had asked him to observe the motions and pronunciations of the spellwork in Charms and hadn't assigned any homework to him. This hadn't made him too popular with the other third-years, as they had their own assignments to complete while he got to relax. Professor McGonagall had asked him to write an essay comparing Transfiguration and transmutation at the end of her class, and Snape had assigned the same assignment to him as the rest of the class after admitting (begrudgingly) that his potion was satisfactory. When he entered the DADA classroom, he noticed the other students staring at him. This had been happening in his other classes, so he wasn't too surprised, but took his seat slightly behind Harry, to observe him.

Umbridge nodded at him when he entered. When the whole class was seated, she greeted them with, "Well, good afternoon!"

The mumbled replies from some of the students didn't seem to satisfy her, and she instructed them to all say, "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge." The class did so, and immediately Selim knew that the class would be worthless when Umbridge told everyone to put away their wands. Selim fished his book out of his bag and looked back up to see writing on the blackboard.

Defense Against the Dark Arts

A Return to Basic Principles

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O. W. L. year."

Selim had a feeling that Umbridge felt untouchable, given her real job, and grinned. Being literally created from the essence of Father's pride meant that he knew exactly how to hit an arrogant person where it really hurt. Hiding his smile, he returned his attention to Umbridge.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

As she wrote the course aims on the blackboard, Selim leaned back in his seat. Alphonse had taught him a great del about theory, but both he and Edward had also made sure that he was well-versed in practical alchemy as well. Umbridge probably was more concerned with getting rid of Harry and Dumbledore than with actually teaching. _She'll probably try to assert control over you while you're here,_ he thought, _as if she could ever do that._

Copying down the course aims, he ignored Umbridge walking the class through how to answer questions in her class, before instructing them to read the first chapter of their book. Selim had attempted to read it the previous night but couldn't get into it at all. He noticed Hermione raising her hand, completely ignoring the book, and when finally acknowledged, began questioning Umbridge about the course aims. Umbridge laughed off the idea of using defensive spells, which immediately upset the class, especially Ron, Harry, and Hermione. She ignored the valid points the other students raised and talked over them as they attempted to explain themselves.

"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed-not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

One of the other students, Selim caught his name as Dean Thomas, protested loudly, but Umbridge shut both him and Hermione down with her statements that the class had convinced them that they would be attacked at any moment.

Another student asked about the practical part of the O.W.L. test for DADA, which Umbridge dismissed with an explanation that if they studied theory hard enough, they'd pass the exam.

Selim noticed Harry had been quiet the entire time, but he chose that moment to ask a question.

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" he asked.

Umbridge stated softly in response, "This is school Mr. Potter, not the real world."

At that point, Selim raised his own hand. Umbridge noticed and called on him, "Yes, Mr. Bradley?"

"Please correct me if I'm wrong, Professor, but isn't the point of school to prepare students for the real world?" he asked in an inquisitive tone.

Umbridge smiled at him before answering, "Please remember, Mr. Bradley, that you are in a different country. If you were taught differently back in your own country, I apologize for the confusion, but that isn't what we will be doing here."

Selim wanted to respond, but Harry beat him to it.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."

Harry continued to challenge Umbridge, and Selim was tempted to grab him to shut him up. When Umbridge inquired who would want to attack children, Harry ended up digging himself deeper.

"Hmm, let's think…maybe _Lord Voldemort?_ "

The class's reactions were, in Selim's opinion, hilarious. Students screamed, fell off their chairs, or flinched where they sat. Umbridge didn't move. She looked satisfied and removed ten points from Gryffindor. That was when Selim raised his hand again. He wanted to list several things that were waiting in the real world. This time, though, Umbridge ignored him. She stood and leaned over her desk towards the class.

"Now, let me make a few things quite plain. You have been told a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead-"

Harry interjected, "We wasn't dead, but yeah, he's returned."

"Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-you-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie._ "

Before Selim could stop him, Harry spoke again.

"It is NOT a lie! I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Umbridge triumphantly. "Tomorrow evening. Five o' clock. My office. I repeat, _this is a lie._ The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in any danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners.'"

As Umbridge took her seat, Selim picked up his book to attempt to read it again. After Umbridge's outburst, he decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to give examples of what was waiting out in the 'real world.' In addition, if he needed any more incentive to keep his being a homunculus a secret, there it was. Then, he noticed Harry stand up. Hermione tried to warn him, but it was too late to stop him. Harry's voice shook with anger as he asked a question.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?"

The whole class gasped. Umbridge stared at Harry as Selim watched them both. The false smile on her face spoke volumes.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she said coldly.

"It was murder," said Harry. Selim could see him shaking and leaned back from him cautiously. "Voldemort killed him, and you know it."

Umbridge was quiet. Then she spoke softly.

"Come here, Mr. Potter, dear."

Selim watched Harry walk to the desk and was handed a note by Umbridge. He was told to take it to Professor McGonagall. Selim saw him leave the classroom and used the shadows of the hallway to continue watching him as he walked, being harassed by one of the ghosts as he did.

That's when he heard his name called.

"Please come here, Mr. Bradley!"

Selim rose, and walked over, feeling the eyes of the class on his back. When he reached the desk, he waited for Umbridge to explain.

"Mr. Bradley, I believe I know what you wanted to say when I was addressing Mr. Potter. I understand that in your country, those things are more common, and it is important to stop those crimes. However, in the Wizarding World, that sort of crime is far less common, and much more difficult to get away with, and I believe I speak for the Ministry when I ask that you refrain from speaking of such things with the other students."

Selim nodded, and asked, "Will Harry's detention affect our meeting time?"

"Not at all, we can speak in another room while he is in detention. I'm sure you have many questions."

Selim nodded and thanked her, before returning to his seat. The rest of the class passed in silence.

-Line Break-

Hermione poured over the alchemy book she'd borrowed from the library. As she turned the pages, she thought about what she'd say to Harry about his outburst. She couldn't believe he'd been so foolish. He _knew_ Umbridge worked for the Ministry, he _knew_ why she was there, yet he still pressed his point that Voldemort was back. It was just like rushing off to duel Malfoy in first year.

She then noticed the word she was looking for and began to read the passage in the book.

 **Among the many discoveries sought by alchemists, one presently only rooted in theory is the homunculus (plural; homunculi). Homunculi are artificial humans created through the use of alchemy. The term homunculus literally means 'small human', due to the attempts made by using a small doll or other humanoid figure and creating a soul to animate the body. As of yet, there have been no reports of a successful creation of a homunculus, due to lack of knowledge on how to create a soul for the body. Some alchemists believe that a homunculus may have been created in the kingdom of Xerxes hundreds of years ago. Stories exist of a golden-haired man performing alchemy with help from a creature in a flask. However, no proof of these rumors is known to exist.**

Hermione looked up from the page. She considered Selim's interest in the homunculi. Perhaps the State Alchemists believed that magic could create a soul for a homunculus. Or maybe they thought that they could use them to replace normal soldiers in their military. _But why keep it a secret,_ she thought, _what could a homunculus do that a witch or wizard couldn't?_ As she set the book aside to prepare for bed, she didn't notice the dark shadows that seemed to slither out of the door to the dormitory.

 **And… Done! Finally, the first day at Hogwarts. I wanted to have Selim add his own two cents to the argument between Harry and Umbridge. This chapter was a little heavy on book dialogue, and I apologize for that, but I still like how it turned out. And now Hermione knows what homunculi are! What will the others think? Please leave a review telling me what you think of this chapter, or to ask any questions you may have. Until the next time!**


	7. Meeting with the Pink Toad

**Hello and welcome back! I'm sorry I couldn't update last week, I was at Comic-con. But let's not wait any longer!**

 **I don't own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist, blah, blah, blah. On with the story!**

The first day had begun to show just how much the third-year students in his classes disliked Selim. He knew some of them looked down on him for being a "Muggle", or non-magical person, in Hogwarts, but others just didn't like him because the teachers didn't assign him the same homework as them. The day had him collecting his things from where other students had knocked them out of his hands. One had even used a spell to tear his bag and force him to stop and carry everything, but Selim had seen the disappointment on the student's face when he'd simply transmuted the bag and refilled it. He'd known the next day wasn't going to go well at breakfast. After dressing in the school's uniform, he walked down to breakfast. He'd just taken some oatmeal when he heard a voice behind him.

"Good morning, Bradley."

Selim turned to face Malfoy, who was standing with his bodyguard-friends flanking him. He gave the Slytherin a smile.

"Morning Draco. Come to learn a bit about alchemy?"

Malfoy smirked and Selim fished an alchemy book he'd brought from home out of his bag and opened it.

"This book is a little advanced, but I can explain some of the symbols and laws. It's not really difficult to learn."

Malfoy leaned forward and Selim pushed him back for a moment.

"Now, I want to make some things clear, Draco. First, I am not teaching you alchemy. If you want to learn it, then try to visit Amestris for a teacher. In addition to that, you'd also need to study and memorize the periodic table of elements and master the basics of the symbols. Finally, alchemy can be very dangerous. I heard form my uncle about an alchemist who tried to transmute a weapon in his hand, but there was a rebound, and the alchemist's arm ended up am amalgamation of metal and flesh stretched in unnatural ways. It was irreversible and he would have needed to have his arm removed. DO NOT try to transmute before you have learned how to do it properly."

Malfoy looked disappointed and sickened at that but nodded and leaned over to look at the book. Selim had just started explaining the laws when they heard another voice.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Turning to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione behind them, Selim and Malfoy glanced at each other. Malfoy didn't seem to be in the mood to taunt Harry though, and simply left after wishing Selim a good day.

"Why were you talking to him? Were you trying to get information from him? Gryffindors hate Slytherins, you're going to make people hate you even more!"

The words spilled out of Harry like water from a fountain, and even if he'd wanted to, Selim couldn't have responded. He noticed Hermione looking at his book and turned to her as she saw what it was.

"Were you teaching Malfoy alchemy?"

Selim grabbed the book off the table and dropped it in his bag. "Who I talk to and the subject matter of the discussion is my business, not yours," he said. "Now, I am going to eat my breakfast, and the next person who asks me a question about it is going to have the bench transmuted out from under them!"

The trio went quiet and sat down to eat. Selim finished quickly, and hurried off to his classes. _It's just like Maes Hughes and that map,_ he thought. _These wizards need to mind their own business!_

-Line Break-

The lessons went alright, but Selim was already reaching the end of his patience with the envious students. He'd been tripped again and had been glared at by almost everyone. They didn't intimidate him, but he found it very annoying. He grabbed some food from the Great Hall and left, briefly glancing over to see another student shouting at Harry. Shaking his head, he began walking towards Umbridge's office.

When he reached Umbridge's office, he IMMEDIATLEY wrinkled his nose at the decoration. He wished he could transmute all of the pink and lace away, but doubted Umbridge would let it go unpunished.

"Now then, Mr. Bradley, just in here," she said, ushering him into another room. "I simply need to make sure that Mr. Potter understands what he's doing for his detention, and I will be with you in a moment."

Selim waited for a few moments, and Umbridge returned.

"Mr. Bradley, from what I've observed of you in my class and around the castle, you seem to have a very good grasp of English, so I trust we won't have any, ahem, communication issues?"

Selim nodded, "Yes Professor. I studied English when I was younger. I never really forgot it."

Umbridge seemed to accept the answer and continued.

"Now, as you're here as a guest of the Ministry, you answer to me-"

Selim cut her off, "Professor, I answer to the fuhrer president of my country. If I receive orders from him telling me that I need to obey your orders, I will do so, but until that happens, I am not under any obligation to do what you tell me outside of class and the school rules."

Professor Umbridge looked taken aback at that.

"I see. The minister will be writing to your fuhrer about that soon. Now, as I understand it, you have had no prior magical education before coming to Hogwarts?"

"Yes"

"Then where did you get your education?"

"I was taught by private tutors for most subjects, and I was taught alchemy and a little alkahestry by my uncles."

"And how did you become a State Alchemist?"

"I passed the exam. My uncle passed it at age twelve and retired three years later. He and his brother still study alchemy and travel to other countries to learn about it."

"And why did your uncle retire?"

"That is a personal question, and not mine to answer, Professor."

"Very well, why would the Amestrian government send a child, instead of a legal adult, who would be more suited to the task?"

Selim was insulted. Umbridge didn't know anything about him but was already suggesting he was incompetent. He wanted to stab her with his shadows but restrained himself.

"There weren't any adult alchemists available, and they felt a child would fit in better in a school setting."

"Why is your title, 'the Soulstone Alchemist'?"

"When I was younger, my alchemical knowledge was centered around the Philosopher's Stone, an object meant to forgo the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Soulstone is another name for it."

"And the Law of Equivalent Exchange is?"

"The law states that nothing can be created without something of equal value being given up. I can't make a ten-foot statue from a pebble. The stone is supposed to ignore the law and create something from nothing."

"How do you create a philosopher's stone?"

"That information is highly classified, Professor."

"One more question, Mr. Bradley. I assume you've heard the rumors in the Daily Prophet and floating around Hogwarts. What is your opinion of these rumors?"

Selim paused for a moment before answering.

"I know that alchemy can't bring back the dead. Many alchemists have tried and failed. It can't be done. Nothing can revive the dead."

Umbridge looked pleased at this answer and told Selim he could go. As he left, he glanced over at Harry, scribbling down lines on parchment, wincing as he did so. Selim looked closer. The ink was red, and while Selim may have lost Gluttony's sense of smell, he could still pick out the scent of iron. Blood. She was going to do this until he broke. The whole ministry was doing that. How tenacious of them. He took one last look at Umbridge, watching Harry writing lines in his own blood, and left a shadow to keep an eye on them. As he walked towards Gryffindor Tower, he remembered something he'd said to a dying Kimblee. _They may well be tenacious creatures,_ he'd said to the Red Lotus Alchemist, _but humans are easy to dupe._

It wasn't the first time he'd agreed with his old views, and he doubted it would be the last.

-Line Break-

Hermione watched Harry and Ron struggle through their homework. As she watched, she thought about the passage in the book from the previous night, and the meeting between Selim and Malfoy. It struck her as odd that an anti-Muggle person like Malfoy would interact with Selim in a friendly matter, but if Selim was teaching him alchemy, the respect made sense. Malfoy didn't usually insult teachers to their faces. She remembered what she'd told the boys in Grimmauld Place and spoke up.

"Harry? Ron? I found out what homunculi are."

That got their attention, and they abandoned their homework. Ron spoke first.

"Really Hermione? What is it?"

"A homunculus is an artificially created human. The book said that there are no reports of a successful homunculus creation, but the book was old, and the information may be out of date."

Harry thought about it for a minute. "Maybe there's some special for of alchemy in Amestris that can create a homunculus. Selim has been answering our questions, but we know that at least some of them are made up. He said so to Captain Hawkeye."

Hermione frowned at that. "Why are you so suspicious of him, Harry. I agree that he's given us reasons now, but even before the Hogwarts Express, you didn't trust him."

"I told Ron this, I get a similar feeling to him as I got from Tom Riddle's diary."

"So, you think he might be connected to You-Know-Who? Harry, he's not even from England! He isn't even a wizard! I agree that he's suspicious, but he may just have his own motives."

Harry stood up. "How do you know! You've never even met Voldemort! I've met him four times! And Dumbledore said Tom Riddle went traveling after leaving Hogwarts, before becoming Voldemort. He may have visited Amestris. Selim could be… I don't know, his son or something. He said he didn't know his biological father!"

Hermione tried to tone down the conversation.

"Harry, calm down. You're sounding absolutely mad. I have a hard time believing You-Know-Who would have a child and then just abandon it. He'd have made sure it was magical first."

"Hermione's right, Harry. You-Know-Who cares too much about blood purity to leave his child without making sure that it was magical. Selim can't be his son. Lets just focus on something else for now."

"You're saying we don't do anything?"

"Harry, he's saying we don't know enough yet. Remember the Philosopher's Stone? We thought Snape wanted to steal it, but it was Quirrell. We need to be patient, find out more about Selim and why he's really here. Alright?"

Harry stared at Ron and Hermione for a moment, then sat down. He wasn't happy, with his lack of useful information, his week of detentions, and the stinging of his hand. However, he had to admit; Hermione was right.

 **Well, that's the chapter. Will the golden trio find out more about Selim? Will Selim succeed in his mission without killing anyone? I'll try to update each weekend, but I can't promise it. Until the next chapter!**


	8. Letters and Meetings

**Hey readers! See, I've kept my word and there is now a new chapter of Secrets and Shadows. Thank you to all of you who are following, favoriting, and reviewing this story! I couldn't be happier that people like what I'm writing!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa and JK Rowling, respectively.**

The week passed, and Selim noticed that Harry's friends had finally seen what Umbridge was doing to him. The eldest homunculus approached the trio as they held Harry's hand in a bowl of liquid. They looked up at him as he came closer.

"What do you want?"

Selim had seen that Harry and his friends were more cautious around him. They watched what they said, and when they thought they were alone, they would discuss why he was really there. He supposed it was suspicious that a bodyguard wouldn't be in a position to guard the person in question. However, Selim brushed it aside as he examined Harry's hand.

"I just wanted to see if I could help. That looks painful."

Harry sneered at Selim.

"How would you help? You don't know magic. And if you wanted to help, why didn't you stand up for me in Umbridge's class?"

Selim glanced at Harry's cuts before walking around the couch to them.

"Even with whatever that is, those cuts are going to scar. I could at least try to close them with alchemy."

Hermione spoke before Harry could.

"We'd appreciate that, thank you."

Taking Harry's hand out of the bowl, Selim clapped his hands together before pressing one to the skin. With a crackle of alchemical lightning, the cuts closed and disappeared as if they'd never been there to begin with. Selim gave Harry a smirk and a, "There you go," and walked off to his dormitory. The trio watched him leave.

-Line Break-

Selim pulled a notebook and pen out of his trunk and pulled the curtains on his bed closed. He'd been writing his letters and reports in code as well as in Amestrian, letting both his superiors and his family know what he'd seen and what his opinion on Umbridge really was. This letter, however, wasn't about his mission, or for his mother. It was for his uncles, about a subject matter that Selim had been asking about for several years by that point.

Being raised as a human, Selim had developed a sense of attachment to his uncles and mother and regretted not feeling the same about his siblings. He'd been asking Edward, Alphonse, and Fuhrer Grumman about the fates of his family and what had truly happened on the Promised Day. Edward had promised to try and get the files kept on Father and the homunculi but hadn't yet. Grumman had admitted that while he didn't think that Selim should never know what happened, some members of military high command were still suspicious of him and would start watching him again if he did find out.

This letter was one of several he'd written to the Elric brothers, asking for any information they could give him on what had happened to both the homunculi and Father. As he wrote, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs to him. Using the shadows, he saw it was Hermione.

"Selim? Can you come out?"

Selim pushed open his bedcurtains and moved to the edge of the bed. He observed her facial expression and body language before speaking.

"What is it, Hermione?"

"I wanted to ask about what you talked about with Umbridge. Harry couldn't hear what you were saying through the door."

"She asked me about my past, my job, if I'd have trouble communicating, and my education. She wasn't always pleased with my answers, but they either weren't my answers to give, or involved classified information."

"Oh. Thank you, Selim."

Hermione turned to leave, but stopped long enough to ask one more thing,

"Why are you talking to Malfoy?"

Selim shrugged,

"I'm trying to get information on Voldemort and Draco knows a little about magical alchemy. We're comparing what is similar and what is different. Draco isn't very nice to people, but that's how he was raised, to believe that he was better than everyone. State Alchemists are very well-respected in Amestris. Military officials used to do this sort of thing all the time back home, though thankfully, that's stopped since the coup."

Hermione nodded, and left. Selim watched her go, then turned to his letter. He could understand why the trio was suspicious of him, but that didn't mean he had to like it. As he wrote, he changed codes to one only he and the Elrics were familiar with. He wasn't going to take chances with the trio and Umbridge around him.

-Line Break-

It wasn't long before Umbridge gained more power. Selim set the Daily Prophet aside one morning and returned to his breakfast as he considered the development. Umbridge was now the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, and as a result, could remove Dumbledore's allies in the teaching staff. It really spoke volumes as to how much faith the Wizarding World had in its government that this could happen. At least the letter from Fuhrer Grumman was some good news.

Apparently, the minister of magic had written to Grumman, telling him how the political climate in Wizarding Britain was struggling to remain stable, and if Selim assisted them, that the problem would be resolved sooner. It was an obvious attempt to get Selim under Umbridge's control, and to spy on Harry and Dumbledore. Grumman had seen that too, writing back in a letter reminding Fudge that Selim was there for an exchange of knowledge, and not obligated to assist the ministry in political matters at all.

The news of the letter kept a smile on Selim's face until Defense Against the Dark Arts. In that class, Selim considered gagging Harry with shadows. He wished he had, as by the end of the lesson, Umbridge had provoked Harry into speaking out again, and he'd earned himself another week of detention.

Selim shook his head in disappointment. This time, he wasn't going to bother with healing the cuts on his hands. Maybe then, he'd learn to shup up.

-Line Break-

Two weeks later, Selim was feeling better. The jealous students had finally stopped messing with him, after one pureblood attempted to hex him in the back, only for the student to find his wand hand pinned behind his back and forced to his knees. Professor Umbridge hadn't been pleased, but Selim wasn't punished. Malfoy had explained to the teacher that the student had attacked Selim, and that he'd been bullied ever since arriving at the school. Selim had joined in, making sure the High Inquisitor knew that his treatment by the other students had not given him a favorable impression, and that Amestris might consider breaking off relations with Britain. Since then, anyone caught bothering Selim was immediately given detention.

The other good news was that Edward and Alphonse had responded to his letter, stating that they'd called in enough favors to be able to send copies of the homunculus files to Selim. On the verge of learning about the events of the Promised Day, Selim had to work hard to keep his emotions in check. Fortunately, he was a good actor.

That evening, when he was studying an alchemy book in his room, he noticed a note on his pillow. He opened it to read,

 _Can we trust you? We're having a meeting in the Hog's Head during Hogsmeade weekend. I've put a spell on the parchment. If you tell anybody about this note or the meeting, you won't like the result._

 _-Hermione_

Selim quickly used alchemy to deconstruct the note, then returned to his book. He'd check out the meeting. If it wasn't in school, then it probably wasn't something Umbridge would like, or something that would be good for political relations between Britain and Amestris. Selim would need to be cautious.

-Line Break-

Harry was more nervous than he'd expected to be when the students walked in. Sure, he knew some of them, and that some of them believed him about Voldemort. However, he hadn't been expecting so many. In addition, Hermione kept looking at the door like she was expecting someone else. When everyone was seated, Hermione was about to start when they heard the door open again. Everyone looked to see Selim Bradley standing in the doorway. Ron turned to Hermione.

"You invited him?"

Harry agreed with Ron. Selim might have been sent to protect him, but the only class they had together was DADA. What good was a bodyguard that wasn't in the same room? Harry knew that Selim was hiding something and Harry didn't want him involved in this defense club. However, Selim could go to Umbridge and get them in trouble if they didn't let him in. Harry forced a smile and waved.

"Hey Selim! Come on over!"

Hermione turned to Harry.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but he could help us learn to defend ourselves."

The justification made sense to Harry, so he nodded and the meeting began.

With the exception of Zacharias Smith, the meeting progressed smoothly. That is, until Smith opened his mouth and pointed at Selim.

"Why's he here? What was the point of inviting him? He can't even DO magic!"

Hermione nodded and tried to explain.

"W-well, I thought that since Selim is an alchemist, he could teach us some alchemy-"

Selim cut her off.

"I didn't agree to that. You didn't tell me what the meeting was about in your note. I'm offended that you think I'd just agree to something that I haven't had time to consider. In addition," he said, turning to the rest of the students, "alchemy takes years to learn and master, and I've been taught since I was very small. None of you have the knowledge of the elements needed to begin to learn alchemy."

Smith smirked arrogantly at Selim.

"It's not like we need your alchemy anyway. Why did you even come here, anyway?"

Selim stared directly into Zacharias Smith's eyes as he responded.

"I've noticed that, while skilled with magic, the wizards and witches in this school are very weak, physically."

Smith was outraged. "WEAK!"

Selim nodded.

"My uncles taught me that in order to first train the mind, one must first train their body. You witches and wizards need to build up stamina. Voldemort's lackeys probably won't expect you to attack them in hand-to-hand combat."

This did not please Smith at all.

"I am not going to learn a Muggle ability that I don't need! We should be focused on learning magic, not alchemy, or fighting, or You-Know-Who!"

Selim stood up, and got directly in Smith's face.

"Nobody is forcing you to do anything. However, my uncles learned martial arts, and they were good enough with alchemy to fight in the coup, and to defeat soldiers with guns, which I'm certain are more deadly and quicker than a piece of wood that needs to be told what to do. Whether I teach or not, the next meeting this group has, you will fight me, your magic vs my physical ability."

Smith looked slightly nervous, but sat back down. Selim took his own seat, and discussions were made about where to meet, and then Hermione suggested that they all sign a piece of parchment to show who was there. Several people were hesitant, and Selim was as well.

"Hermione, I don't think that it's a good idea for me to sign that."

"Selim, like I told Ernie, I won't just leave it lying around."

"Umbridge could easily gain the authority to search through students' belongings. If she finds that I'm connected to this group, it could damage relations between my country and yours, or even start a war, if Fudge thinks Dumbledore wants to overthrow him."

"That hasn't happened yet, Selim. I'll keep the parchment hidden, and nobody will know that you're involved."

Selim thought for a moment, before nodding.

"Alright."

He remembered, though, that Hermione had done something to the note she'd given to him, and left an 'e' out of his last name: Selim Bradly.

Handing the quill to the next person in line, Selim turned and left the tavern.

-Line Break-

Later that evening, Hermione was up late, knitting clothes for the house-elves in the common room. She didn't know about the tendrils of shadow slithering across the floor of the girl's dormitory towards her trunk. The latch clicked, and the shadows pushed the lid up, surging into the trunk and finding the list. As the parchment was laid flat by the shadows, smaller tendrils broke away and began to form a transmutation circle around a name on the list. The circle completed, then there was a crackle and a flash of alchemical lightning, and the name Selim Bradly disappeared from the list. The shadows dropped the list, retracted from the trunk, and closed the lid. No one saw them leave the room or retract into the third-year boy's dormitory.

Selim opened his eyes as the shadows fully disappeared. Sure, it was overkill, but there were more serious things on the line than simply training the students. Umbridge could not suspect Selim was working against her.

Not yet, anyway.

 **And there it is, another chapter! I'm sorry if it seems to drag on and on, but I wanted to get to the middle of the year. Until the next chapter!**


	9. Suspicions Grow

**Hellooo, Fanfiction Land! Happy Easter! Welcome to another chapter of Secrets and Shadows! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to write another chapter today, because my family had a brunch and I had some other things to do. But here we are, and we have another chapter. So, let's begin!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. If I did, I would be a** _ **much**_ **different person.**

On Monday, Selim walked down to the Gryffindor common room. Noting a sign on the notice board, he strode over to the sign with several other students, including Harry and Ron.

 **BY ORDER OF**

 **THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS**

 **All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and**

 **Clubs are henceforth disbanded.**

 **An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby**

 **defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.**

 **Permission to re-form may be sought from the High**

 **Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).**

 **No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club**

 **May exist without the knowledge and approval of the High**

 **Inquisitor.**

 **Any student found to have formed, or belong to, an**

 **Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not**

 **Been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.**

 _ **The above is in accordance with**_

 _ **Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.**_

 **Signed:**

 **Dolores Jane Umbridge**

 **High Inquisitor**

Selim had honestly been expecting this. If not the move itself, then something to restrict the students (and Harry) from meeting without Umbridge knowing about it. It was the same as when Wrath had split up Mustang's group. Harry would be much easier to ruin if he didn't have friends helping him. It also showed who would believe Harry's and Dumbledore's stories. As a result, Selim also felt more comfortable with his shadow transmutation with his name on Saturday night. Without proof of his involvement, he could operate secretly, even if Umbridge did find the defense group. Smirking to himself, Selim turned to leave for breakfast, not noticing Harry and Ron looking at him suspiciously.

-Line Break-

At breakfast, Selim headed for the Slytherin table before sitting next to Malfoy. The blonde had checked an alchemy book out of the school library and was hoping to compare it to Amestrian alchemy. Sitting, Selim pulled out his own alchemy book, and opened it to a transmutation circle. Not long after, Selim brought up the notice in the common room. Malfoy nodded.

"Yes, it's in our common room too. I'll need to ask her for permission to re-form the Quidditch team. Why in Merlin's name would she disband EVERYTHING?"

Selim glanced over at Malfoy before responding.

"I guess that maybe Professor Umbridge thinks that those groups might try to undermine her authority. Something similar happened during the coup. Ishvalan refugees helped alert civilians that they couldn't trust Amestrian High Command anymore."

"Ishvalans?"

"My country annexed the country of Ishval many years ago. There was a great deal of political tension from the start, but things got worse when an Amestrian soldier shot an Ishvalan child. That erupted into civil war that only ended when State Alchemists were sent in on a genocide campaign. After the coup, it was discovered that the Ishvalan Civil War, along with other bloody riots and battles, were all to prepare for a massive alchemical ritual that would have wiped out Amestris and made the members of High Command immortal. Around the time the coup ended, Colonel Mustang, a State Alchemist who served in the genocide campaign, started efforts to restore the Ishvalans' holy lands and return them to the people. The efforts were doing well, the last I heard."

Malfoy didn't say anything, simply nodding before turning back to the book. The two were finishing breakfast and were putting their things away when they heard a voice behind them.

"Hem, hem."

Both Malfoy and Selim turned to see Professor Umbridge standing behind them, giving them an overly sweet smile.

"Good morning, boys. Mr. Bradley, why are you sitting at the Slytherin table when you are in Gryffindor?"

Selim quickly gave Umbridge an innocent smile.

"I'm comparing alchemical texts with Draco, Professor Umbridge. After all, that's why I'm here. To share knowledge, isn't it?"

Umbridge was quiet for a second, then nodded.

"I see. However, I'm afraid that I must cut your meeting short. Having seen my report of the first week and the changes employed since then, the Minister of Magic wishes to get more answers. Follow me, please."

Selim gave her an annoyed look, but complied, giving Malfoy an apologetic look as he stood and grabbed his things. Following Umbridge, she led him into an empty classroom not far from the Great Hall.

Umbridge conjured two chairs and a clipboard with parchment on it before telling Selim to take a seat. Sitting in the opposite chair, Umbridge began her questions.

"Mr. Bradley, on the first night of term, when you were being Sorted, you seemed upset at what the hat was seeing. What upset you?"

Selim seethed internally. _Why should I tell you,_ he thought, _that is private information!_

"I'd rather not talk about it, Professor."

"Mr. Bradley, that was not a request, that was a demand. Now, answer the question."

Selim gave a solemn expression.

"It brought up some…traumatic memories for me. My family helped me through it afterwards."

"But what _were_ those memories?"

"You wanted to know what upset me when I put the hat on, Professor. I don't need to answer the specifics of what those experiences were."

Umbridge looked angry at that answer but didn't push the question. As she asked the rest of her questions, Selim kept a dutiful look on his face, and answered what he could. By the time he left, he was furious.

 _I thought that there was more to humans than just there use as ingredients for Philosophers' Stones,_ he thought, _but with her, I've been proven wrong._

-Line Break-

Harry sighed as he waited for Sirius's Floo message. The notice board had killed his spirits and had made him more suspicious of Selim than before. Hermione had claimed that they'd be able to tell who snitched, but if anyone could hide it, it would probably be a skilled person like Selim. However, they still had no proof that Selim had an ulterior motive for being there. He glared at the fireplace in frustration.

-Line Break-

The first meeting of the defense group occurred some time later, in a room that provide whatever the seeker needed. Selim was surprised and intrigued, walking around and observing the contents of the room. As the group was named, Selim called attention to himself.

"Smith, are you ready to fight?"

Zacharias Smith was clearly surprised.

"Fighting is stupid. We already know who'd win. If we're here to learn, let's start."

The other DA members were looking at Smith and Selim expectantly, and Smith seemed to understand that he wasn't getting out of a fight. He turned to Selim and raised his wand.

" _Stupefy!_ "

Selim ducked the bolt of red light and dashed forward, landing a blow on Smith's wrist to disarm him, then moving behind him to knock him down and then pin him.

The DA was shocked, and Smith wasn't happy. Selim was fairly certain that they'd be begging him to teach them at some point. As the group began to practice their own form of disarming, Selim walked over to the wall and watched. The dependence on magic was a weakness that all the Wizarding World shared. Selim was grateful that he had alternative methods of defense.

 **I'm not really happy with how this chapter ended, but I originally wanted to cover the Quidditch match too. Sorry I didn't cover the DA meeting better, but I'll try to make the next chapter better. Until next week!**


	10. Quidditch and Questions

**Hi everybody! Welcome back to Secrets and Shadows! I apologize for skipping through the DA meeting last chapter, but I'll try to write a better chapter this time! However, I don't know if I'll be able to update next week. If I can, it probably means I won't be able to update the week after. I write on a school-distributed laptop, and with the school year winding down, I'll need to return it. However, I will get a new laptop soon, and then I'll be able to keep writing! Now, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Two weeks after the DA meeting, Selim wasn't filled with confidence. The wizards were excellent at learning magic, but a large number of the pureblood wizards and witches weren't paying much attention to his instructions on self-defense, believing it to be beneath them. He'd also noticed that Muggleborn members like Hermione and the Creevey brothers had slightly higher stamina than purebloods like Ron or Ernie Macmillan. He guessed it had to do with less access to magic outside of the school. However, where Selim was irritable about the lack of progress, Harry seemed revitalized, even forcing his way through Umbridge's class.

In addition, Selim couldn't always attend the meetings, as he had reports to send and discussions with Malfoy about alchemy and Amestrian history. The Slytherin hadn't revealed anything about Voldemort yet, and Selim was beginning to think that he didn't know anything, but Malfoy was also the only Slytherin who would speak to him at all.

When Hermione handed Selim a gold wizarding coin and explained what it was, Selim was immediately put on his guard. He knew the golden trio had learned what homunculi were, and Hermione was smart enough to put together clues to deduce Selim's secret, if he left enough. He also avoided the Dark Detectors in the Room of Requirement for the same reason. It was even harder than staying unnoticed for the Promised Day.

-Line Break-

The first time Selim really thought about Quidditch was in the library. He and Malfoy were going to discuss how alchemists learned and the differences between wizard alchemists and Amestrian alchemists. When Malfoy arrived, he handed Selim something. He looked down to see that it was a badge shaped like a crown. On it was the phrase, **WEASLEY IS OUR KING**.

Selim narrowed his eyes.

"What's this, Draco?"

"A badge that we made. Those of us in Slytherin, I mean. Taunts and verbal attacks are common in Quidditch."

"So, who is the badge meant to mock?"

"Ron Weasley. He's the new Gryffindor Keeper, and isn't immune to these tactics like the other players yet."

"Keeper?"

"You don't have Quidditch in Amestris? The Keeper tries to keep the Quaffle from going through the hoops, the Chasers try to put the Quaffle through the other team's hoops, the Beaters try to direct the Bludgers to unseat opposing players, and the Seeker, that's me, has to catch the Golden Snitch. That ends the game, and almost always guarantees victory for the team that catches it."

"That sounds confusing. And why would you give me this badge? I'm in Gryffindor. I might not be a sports person, but I'm not going to taunt my own House, either."

"I suppose. You don't seem to like Potter that much. Why do you hang out with him?"

"He's known in Amestris. It's for political reasons. Personally though, I think he's a biased and nosy idiot who doesn't think before he speaks and thinks he's entitled to everyone's private information. His friends aren't much better, but I think Hermione truly wants to learn about Amsetris."

They studied for a short while, then Malfoy excused himself to get to bed early for Quidditch. Selim had no interest in the game but attending would help his cover.

-Line Break-

The day of the Quidditch match was gray, and the game didn't go well for either team. The only reason Gryffindor won was Harry catching the Snitch. The Slytherins had repeatedly sung a song as loud as they could to taunt Ron in tandem with the badges, and it had worked. Slytherin had played **very** dirty. The only comeuppance they got was that one of the players was being berated by the referee for hitting Harry after he caught the Snitch.

Walking down to the field, he saw Harry and Malfoy talking. As he got closer, he could make it out.

"-we couldn't fit in _useless loser_ either- for his father, you know-"

Selim noticed Fred and George were also becoming angry and began to run across the field. The Gryffindor captain was trying to calm them down, but things were certainly going to get ugly. Selim remembered how kind the Weasleys had been to him at Grimmauld Place. He reached the group of players just as Malfoy said something else to set not only Fred and George, but also Harry, off, causing both Harry and George to attack Malfoy. When the teams and Madame Hooch separate the trio, Selim turned to Malfoy.

"There's a difference between taunts and lines that shouldn't be crossed, Draco. Whatever you said to set Harry and the twins off, you need to take it back."

Malfoy was about to respond when another Slytherin player interrupted.

"Don't bother, Malfoy. At least mudbloods have magic, even if they don't deserve it. Bradley doesn't even have any magical blood to his name, from a family of filthy Muggles-"

The earthen fist that struck the player knocked him to the ground. Selim stalked over to the player and glared down at him.

"I have a thick skin and can take insults. But you dare insult my family? At least I'm not a product of incest like most of you pureblood idiots!"

Madame Hooch sent the Gryffindors and Selim to Professor McGonagall's office. She was extremely upset with them. Selim had been in the same room as Father when he was angry, before Wrath was born, so he wasn't intimidated, but then Umbridge arrived. Thanks to another educational decree, Fred, George, and Harry were banned from Quidditch for life. Then she turned to Selim.

"Mr. Bradley, I thought you and Mr. Malfoy were on good terms?"

"We are, Professor Umbridge. I don't see how that condones what he said to Harry and the Weasleys. I'm very upset with him."

"Be as that may, Mr. Bradley, that does not give you the right to attack students-"

"That student insulted _my_ family, Professor. People he knew _nothing_ about, simply because they aren't magical. I'm alarmed that steps aren't taken to teach the students that discrimination isn't right."

Umbridge gave Selim a smile that implied that nothing good was coming.

"Our ways are not your ways, Mr. Bradley. And based on your actions today, I believe I'll have to ban you from performing alchemy."

Selim had been expecting this since the Quidditch ban, and mentally prepared to fake protest and fear to give Umbridge what she wanted to see, but then the professor continued.

"I'll be writing to your fuhrer to make sure he knows that your license is revoked, of course. Your abuse of your position makes it clear to me that-"

 _I'm not the one abusing my position._ "You don't have the right."

"Excuse me, Mr. Bradley, but Educational Decree Number Twenty-Five states-"

Selim's faux distress turned into real anger, and he hissed,

"You might have the authority to ban me from using alchemy on school grounds. Maybe you even have the power to prevent me from using it in England. However, you work for the Ministry of Magic, not the government of Amestris. Therefore, you DO NOT have the authority to ban me from using alchemy anywhere else in the world. You DO NOT have the right to fire me as a State Alchemist. Remember your place in politics, _Professor._ You can punish me as a student, but not as a State Alchemist."

Umbridge flushed red.

"Well then, we'll just see what the Minister and your Fuhrer say when they hear about this, Mr. Bradley."

And with that, she walked out.

-Line Break-

The fact that he was prohibited from using alchemy didn't bother Selim like the Quidditch ban bothered Harry. He'd lived for centuries without the ability to transmute and would be able to again after leaving Hogwarts. Hell, Edward had been using alchemy for most of his life before the Promised Day, and had acclimated to not using it afterwards. Besides, Selim wasn't banned from STUDYING alchemy, just using it on school grounds. He met with Malfoy in the library later that day.

"Selim… I'm really sorry about Warrington. The others don't see alchemy as anything useful to learn."

"I'm not the one for you to apologize to, Draco. I understand that you and Harry despise each other but imagine if he insulted your family that way. You're proud to be a Malfoy, like I'm proud to be a Bradley, but where you come from doesn't make you better than others."

"But-"

"And, if anything, being pureblood will only make you weaker. From what I've observed of wizards, magic appears to be genetic."

"What are you talking about?"

"Okay, are either of your parents blonde like you?"

Yes, my father, but-"

"So, when babies are created, there are different ways that they could look through physical traits that they inherit from their parents. In your case, you inherited your father's blonde hair."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm pretty sure that magic is the same way. You inherit the ability to perform magic from your parents. I'm fairly certain that the level of magical power isn't genetic, though. Still, being pureblood isn't good for you."

"Why would that be?"

"Human beings and all other living creatures are made up of DNA. Some of that DNA are chromosomes, which carries part of your genetic material. Some comes from one parent, some comes from the other. If the two types of genetic material are too similar, like from direct family members, then the resulting person only has half the material that they need. This can lead to birth defects, and over time, health problems like increased vulnerability to infection. With all the pureblood families related like they are, everyone's got a bit of everyone else's DNA."

"Really? Is there a way to fix it?"

"The only way is to introduce a new type of DNA, one from an outside source. They'd need to not be a pureblood because their DNA is too corrupted."

Malfoy looked horrified at the idea of not marrying a pureblood in the future but didn't say anything and left. Selim watched him go. A moment later, Hermione walked in and walked to a bookshelf. Not wanting to be seen, Selim duck behind another bookshelf, using the shadows to see what she was doing. Hermione checked the book out and left.

Moving out from behind the shelf, Selim left the library.

-Line Break-

On Monday, Selim decided to walk across the grounds of the castle. Professor Flitwick was having his third-years practice spells and had excused Selim for his inability to do the same. As he walked, Selim noticed the Care of Magical Creatures class walking through the snow to the forest. Selim followed them out of curiosity.

When the group reached a patch of trees, the teacher (who had returned Saturday night) put what Selim thought looked like a cow carcass on the ground. He then called the students in close and made what sounded like a bird call. Then Selim saw it. One of the not-chimera horses that he'd seen the first night. Most of the students looked confused, but two of them raised their hands when Hagrid asked who could see them. Selim did so as well.

"Yeah…yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry. An' you too, Neville, eh? An'-"

Hagrid's voice cut off when he took in Selim's clearly shorter stature and younger appearance.

"Who're you?"

Selim remembered that Hagrid didn't know him yet.

"Selim Bradley, sir. I'm an exchange student from Amestris. Professor Flitwick said I could leave since the others in my class are just practicing spells today."

"Right, sorry. So, you can see 'em?"

"Yes sir. Why can't everybody-"

Malfoy cut Selim off with a question of what they should be seeing, while Selim got a better look at Hagrid. He was tall, not as big as Sloth, but about Major Armstrong's height, or Alphonse when he was in the armor. Listening to him, Selim also found out that the winged lizard horses were called thestrals, and that only people who had seen death could see them. Then, Umbridge arrived. Selim ignored the way she spoke to Hagrid, he didn't know the man well enough to be offended on his behalf. However, she noticed him soon enough.

"Mr. Bradley, I believe that this is Care of Magical Creatures for fifth years. Unless your schedule has been changed for this class like with my class, you shouldn't be here."

Umbridge had faked politeness with Selim up until the Quidditch match. He had never believed it, of course, but she'd dropped it after that. Whatever Grumman had written to her and the Minister must have seriously angered her, or perhaps she just didn't like that he'd called her out on her lack of authority over his job. Whatever the reason, she was now treating him exactly like how she was treating Harry.

"Professor Flitwick said I could leave class because they were just practicing spells."

Likewise, Selim dropped most of the politeness in his own side of the conversation. She glared at him for that.

"I noticed that you reacted to the thestrals. Who did you see die?"

Selim grit his teeth, and if anybody had been looking into the shadows, they would have seen eyes looking back at them. None did.

"I don't believe that is your business, _Professor._ I have a right to personal privacy."

"Mr. Bradley, I am the Hogwarts High Inquisitor. I _order_ you to tell me!"

The others looked over to see the conversation at that point. Selim showed a hurt expression.

"She's demanding that I tell her who I saw die, even though I don't want to!"

He carried the act for a few minutes, even showing some tears. By then, everyone was looking at Umbridge in disgust and anger. She quickly retreated.

Selim wiped his eyes and pretended to regain his composure. Some of the Gryffindors and Malfoy were giving him looks of sympathy. Hagrid asked him if he was alright, to which he replied yes, and started walking back to the castle. However, as he walked, Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched him. All three wondered who he'd seen die.

 **Well, there we go! Nice long chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one. If I still have access to this laptop next week, we'll have some more exciting events soon, we're reaching a more planned out part of the story. Leave a review on what you liked or didn't like, or ideas on how the Order could learn Selim's secret. Or send a PM for that. Until the next chapter!**


	11. Confusion and Explanations

**Welcome back, fanfiction readers! I know what I said last week, and luckily for me, the laptop wasn't due back over the past week, but since the number of school days left for me fits into the span of two weeks, (looks over at boxes and file folders), I'm cleaning up in preparation for that day. Possibly, it will be during finals, but I'm not sure. Either way, I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since the prologue, and while we still have a way to go towards the end of this story, we are about halfway through! Now then, on to the chapter!**

 **I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. They belong to their respective owners.**

With the arrival of December, Selim found the festivities confusing. He understood that it was a time of happiness and cheer, but some of the traditions were just odd. He didn't understand the decorating of the tree, but also didn't question it, and occasionally asked Malfoy questions about the holiday.

"So, you don't have Christmas in Amestris? At all?" Malfoy looked surprised at Selim's affirmation of the question.

"There are festivals and celebrations in small towns with farms and the like, but nothing like what you celebrate here. Especially in Central. I sometimes celebrate when I visit my uncles in Resembool around this time of year, but they travel so much that it isn't common."

Malfoy was quiet for a moment, before he started with an idea.

"Are you going to stay in England for the holiday? You could stay at Malfoy Manor! You'd be able to learn more about the wizarding world and you'd be able to meet my family. My father has been very interested in meeting you!"

Selim examined his options. He could accept the invitation and visit the Malfoys, possibly learning something about Voldemort from Mr. Malfoy, who would certainly know _something_ useful, or spend the break with the Weasleys, who had already invited him to spend Christmas with them at their house.

If he went to the Malfoys, one mission objective would be more likely to be fulfilled. If he went to the Weasleys, his mission to protect Harry would also be fulfilled.

The cons of the decision were also evident.

Spending the holidays with the Malfoys meant that he'd likely be subjected to hearing how one sort of person was better than another, a topic he'd spent most of his life after the Promised Day trying to keep away from. In addition, it ran the risk of being brought into confrontation with Voldemort himself, or some of his other followers. Selim knew that there were spells to control people, and he didn't know if he had the mental willpower to resist it. Even if he could, Voldemort could also try to just "silence" him, which would reveal his secret, and force him to retreat or kill everyone who knew he wasn't human.

On the other hand, spending the holidays with the Weasley wouldn't be much better. The twins and Ginny Weasley weren't too bothersome and the Weasley parents would try to stop any prying questions that he didn't want to answer. Unfortunately, that wouldn't spare him from Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Hermione was going home to her parents, but the fact that Selim could see thestrals hadn't alleviated their suspicions or stopped them from glaring at him when he was in the room. Still, without Hermione, it was the less dangerous option.

"Selim?"

Selim looked at Malfoy.

"Thank you for the invitation, Draco. Unfortunately, I've already made plans for the holiday."

Malfoy looked disappointed, but nodded and excused himself. Selim watched him go.

-Line Break-

Harry stared into the fireplace of the Gryffindor common room. Sirius wouldn't contact them, not with Umbridge on alert, but Harry still wished that he would. Hermione was writing a letter to Viktor Krum, and Ron was writing an essay. After Cho had kissed him in the Room of Requirement at the end of the DA meeting and the argument that it had started between Ron and Hermione over feelings, there wasn't much to talk about afterwards. Then Ron broke the silence.

"Why do you think Selim could see the thestrals, anyway?"

Hermione glanced up from where she was putting the finishing touches on her letter to Krum.

"Remember, Ron? Selim is in the military. He might not have served in a war, but he might have seen a fellow State Alchemist or soldier die."

Harry looked up.

"Maybe, Hermione, but I'm more curious about his behavior when Umbridge questioned him about it. It didn't seem like him."

"I agree, Harry. Umbridge certainly had no right to demand that Selim tell her who, but he doesn't seem the type to go to the person in charge about it. He was angry, then he immediately went to "sad" when Umbridge pressed on."

Ron jumped back in.

"Maybe he was acting? He could've pretended to be sad to get Umbridge to back off. We know not everything he tells us about him is true."

"You're right, Ron. He might have faked his reaction to get the class angry enough at Umbridge so she would leave. That many witnesses could definitely get her in trouble for abusing her position."

"It still is suspicious. Selim is hiding something about homunculi from everyone, even the Order. He has conversations with Malfoy, possibly even teaching him alchemy, while he only teaches the DA how to block, punch, and kick. He speaks to Umbridge sometimes, seems to hate her as much as we do, but still hasn't really done anything about her. He gives off a feeling like Dark Magic, and lets not forget the biggest thing! For a bodyguard, he isn't even in the same room as me most of the time!"

"Harry, he might have other ways of keeping an eye on you without being in the same place. And if he feels Dark, shouldn't we tell Dumbledore?"

"First, Hermione, _you_ told us yourself that technology doesn't work at Hogwarts! He can't have set up cameras and microphones to watch me! Second, Dumbledore isn't even speaking to me right now! Selim is hiding something, and we have _no_ idea what it is!"

"Harry, please, calm down! I know that you're frustrated, and that Dumbledore is being quiet with you, but taking it out on us won't help!"

"She's right, mate. We're supposed to be your friends, _and_ we're helping you investigate. We just don't have-".

All three were cut off by a tapping at the window.

They looked to see an owl tapping at the window. Tied to its leg was a large envelope with an official-looking symbol on it. Hermione gasped.

"I've seen that symbol before! In a book about Amestris!" she left the room and returned a moment later with a book from the library. "It's the symbol for the Amestrian military. The letter must be for Selim. Maybe he's being updated on things happening in Amestris."

Harry stared at the letter. He let the owl in and untied the letter from its leg. It was a thick envelope, likely holding numerous papers. But Harry didn't care about that. To him, the letter only symbolized one thing.

Answers.

Hermione caught his look.

"Harry, no! We can't just look through Selim's mail! It might be secret-".

Harry interrupted her.

"It's the only way we're going to get answers. Selim's too smart to leave enough clues for us to follow. But if he didn't know this letter came… You agree with me, right, Ron?"

Ron looked hesitant, but nodded. Hermione, seeing that she was outvoted, sighed before stating, "Alright, but if Selim finds out, this was _your_ decision."

Harry agreed. As it was late, they decided to leave the letter for a later day.

-Line Break-

Selim woke to someone shaking him awake. Registering the darkness of the room, he was about to lash out with his shadows when he saw the face of Professor McGonagall. Hiding the shadows quickly, he sat up.

"What is it, Professor?"

"I'm afraid you'll need to come with me, Mr. Bradley. I'm taking Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley to the headmaster's office. He'll explain when we get there."

Selim nodded and threw his robe over his bedclothes **(The outfit from when he threatened Hawkeye in the anime)** and followed her and the two fifth years out of the tower. They walked through the dark halls and Selim looked at Harry. He looked absolutely panicked. The expression on his face wasn't unlike Edward's when he'd seen Selim eat Gluttony. Selim wanted to say something but didn't know what. Eventually, they reached a stone gargoyle of a winged lion.

"Fizzing Whizbee," said Professor McGonagall.

The gargoyle moved aside to reveal a moving staircase that continuously spiraled up and up. As they ascended, Selim, despite the seriousness of the situation, couldn't help but notice what the entrance represented.

 _The entrance to Dumbledore's office is a griffin door. That's clever._

When they reached the office, Selim began looking around at his surroundings. The office was filled with strange machines and paintings of witches and wizards sleeping. Selim assumed they were former headmasters and mistresses of the school.

"Oh, it's you, Professor McGonagall . . . and . . . _ah._ "

Selim looked at Dumbledore, who looked as if he was about to go to bed.

"Professor Dumbledore, Potter has had a . . . well, a nightmare," said Professor McGonagall. "He says . . ."

"It wasn't a nightmare," said Harry quickly.

Selim was confused. They'd woken him, they'd woken their _Head of House,_ they'd disturbed the school's headmaster, because Harry had a _dream?_ As the pampered and spoiled son of the fuhrer, issues that Selim Bradley had weren't blown like this. Was _this_ why Harry felt he deserved to know everything? Selim felt a little sick from the idea. Dumbledore and Harry broke Selim out of his thoughts.

"How did you see this?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Well… I don't know, inside my head, I suppose-"

"You misunderstand me. I mean…can you remember-er-where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?"

Harry gaped. Selim suspected that however Harry had perceived the event in his dream, Dumbledore already knew _why_. Then he spoke,

"I was the snake. I saw it all from the snake's point of view."

Everyone was silent and Dumbledore looked over at Ron, who was pale and hadn't said a word. "Is Arthur seriously injured?"

Selim didn't hear Harry's reply as he pondered where he'd heard the name Arthur before. Then it hit him.

 _Arthur Weasley…Ron's father_.

Selim felt a surge of pity for Ron. He was worried about his father. He hoped that help could get to him soon.

When Selim focused back on the group, he heard Dumbledore say, "We will need a warning."

The bird behind Dumbledore's desk vanished in a flash of fire. Dumbledore consulted one of his instruments and mumbled to himself for a few minutes before a wizard hurried back into his painting.

"Dumbledore!"

"What news?" Dumbledore said at once.

"I yelled until someone came running, said I'd heard something moving downstairs-they weren't sure whether to believe me but went down to check-you know there are no portraits down there to watch from. Anyway, they carried him up a few minutes later. He doesn't look good, he's covered in blood, I ran along to Elfrida Cragg's portrait to get a good view as they left-" The painting said this as he mopped his forehead with the backdrop curtain. Ron looked sick.

A few minutes later, a witch entered her portrait and reported that Mr. Weasley had been brought to Saint Mungo's, what that was, Selim didn't know. Dumbledore looked to McGonagall.

"Minerva, I need you to go and wake the other Weasley children."

"Of course… And Dumbledore-what about Molly?"

"That will be a job for Fawkes when he has finished keeping a lookout for anybody approaching," said Dumbledore. "But she may already know…that excellent clock of hers…"

Selim didn't know what Dumbledore meant by a clock, but McGonagall, Harry, and Ron seemed to. Dumbledore then performed a spell on a kettle and sent another portrait-wizard to another portrait. When Professor McGonagall returned with the other Weasleys, Dumbledore looked at Selim. With a jolt, Selim realized that this was the first time that he'd interacted with the man since September first.

"Selim, that kettle has become a Portkey. It is a way to magically transport people when they cannot Apparate or use the Floo Network. When everyone is touching the kettle, I will activate it and sent you all to Grimmauld Place."

Selim blinked.

"Thank you, Professor. Er, I'm expecting a very important letter from-"

"I will make sure the owl is redirected to Grimmauld Place. All of you will be able to pick up your belongings tomorrow."

Selim nodded and stepped forward to touch the Portkey. The Weasleys and Harry did so as well, and as Dumbledore counted to three, Selim saw a flash of hatred pass over Harry's face.

Hatred at Dumbledore.

Then, he felt something pulling him uncomfortably and he was suddenly in the basement kitchen at Grimmauld Place. As he looked up, he saw Harry right in from of him, and suddenly felt something. It was just like the locket he'd found on the last night at Grimmauld Place, but this time, it originated from Harry's scar. Selim kept his face neutral and moved away from Harry, resolving to send a letter to Edward and Alphonse about it.

 **Well, that's where we'll leave it for today! I'm excited about this part of the story, so I might update tomorrow to continue it. Might. Please review with suggestions and thoughts on this chapter. Until next time!**


	12. Sweaters and Letters

**Here I am! Two chapters in two days! I am on it right now! Now, in the story, I didn't mention that Selim only wears the Hogwarts uniform sometimes, and usually wears normal clothes. By that I mean the sort of clothes he wears in the anime, button-up shirts, suits, and other formal wear. Just imagine him in his outfit from the Promised Day, if that helps. What he wears isn't really important to the story, but I just wanted to address it.**

 **Now, to pick up where we left off yesterday…**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. Would I be writing fanfiction about either of them if I did?**

The next morning, Selim rose and noticed that his luggage had been moved to his room. He grabbed a shirt, vest, and pair of slacks, and quickly dressed. Drafting a letter to Edward and Alphonse, he hurried down to breakfast with the other residents of Grimmauld Place. The morning passed quickly and Selim was prepared to go to Saint Mungo's. As the witches and wizards dressed for the trip, Selim joined them to travel to the city.

The underground was yet another thing that Selim probably would have been interested in if his mind hadn't been on other things. He couldn't stop thinking about the feeling that he'd gotten from both the locket and Harry's scar. It felt like a Philosopher's Stone, but so weak that there was almost no power to it.

Had someone tried to make a Philosopher's Stone, and sealed the failed attempt in the locket? That didn't make sense, the Stone would have disintegrated instead of being sealed away. And the feeling from Harry… Was he like Hohenheim, with whatever it was inside him? He got the feeling that it was tied with the nightmare, but he didn't inquire about it. With Harry's suspicions of him, it would only make things more difficult.

Selim needed answers, and he wasn't going to find them by staring at Harry's scar. He decided to look through the library at the house to see if there was anything there. With any luck, some of the books on the subject of souls would still be there. If not, well, there was always the library at Hogwarts.

The wizarding hospital, Saint Mungo's, was not unlike a normal hospital, with the exception of calling medical wizards Healers, and the strange afflictions that plagued the people there. Selim ended up looking at the floor to avoid staring.

When they reached Mr. Weasley's room, Selim stayed outside with Moody and Tonks while the family and Harry entered. When they came back out, Moody started forward. Selim stayed back until Tonks nudged him, and he entered the room as well.

Mr. Weasley was heavily bandaged, but looked like he wasn't unhappy. Mrs. Weasley glanced over at Selim, while she didn't look happy that he was there, she didn't look angry about it, either. A moment later, when she told him about her husband's wounds, he understood why.

"I don't suppose that you'd know some way to close the wounds with alchemy, would you?"

Selim was happy that someone was taking his abilities into account, but shook his head.

"I'd need to remove the bandages to see the damage, and I don't think that the doctors here would be happy that a thirteen-year-old did their job for them. I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley assured him that he had nothing to be sorry for, and the discussion turned to the night's events. Apparently, Mr. Weasley had been attacked by a large snake while on duty for the Order. They didn't tell Selim what Mr. Weasley was doing, but he didn't ask. They then discussed why the snake was there.

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout," growled Moody, "'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happen?"

Mrs. Weasley sounded uneasy when she responded.

"Yes. You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this…"

Selim blinked.

 _Dumbledore knew Harry would see something? And he didn't tell him?_

The conversation kept going for a while, but Selim wasn't listening. He excused himself from the room a moment later, and noticed Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny standing by the door with fleshy cords stuck in their ears. Cords like the one he'd cut.

"So, spying again, are we?"

Harry was being stared at by the others, and they looked fearful of him. Selim didn't ask why.

-Line Break-

Harry seemed horrified and shocked by whatever he'd heard in Saint Mungo's that he hid away from everyone. Selim still didn't say anything about it. He started spending a great deal of his time in the library, searching for an answer to what was wrong with Harry and the locket. He'd been reading for almost an hour before he heard someone call his name.

"Selim?"

He turned to see Sirius Black standing at the end of the bookshelf.

"Oh, hello Sirius. How are you?"

Sirius smiled.

"I'm as alright as I can be. What are you reading?"

Selim held up the book he was reading.

"I was curious about how the Sorting Hat is alive. In alchemy, the only way to do that is to bind a soul to something with a blood seal. I'm looking to see if something similar was done for the Hat." For some reason, Selim didn't think it was a good idea to tell anybody about the disembodied souls yet.

Sirius shrugged.

"Alright. Just be careful. I think we're removed all the cursed books, but there might still be some around. Also, Molly's asked me to get you to help put up Christmas decorations."

Selim shrugged and put down his book. Getting up, he followed Sirius out of the library. Sirius turned to Selim and asked him a question.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did the Amestrian government send a child for this job, instead of an adult?"

Selim wasn't insulted like when Umbridge had asked him.

"For several reasons. First, a teacher can't always keep an eye on Harry. Second, I'm good at staying below people's notice. Third, I'm the son of my country's previous fuhrer, so there's the political aspect as well."

Sirius was quiet for a moment before asking another question.

"So, what's life like for you in Amestris?"

Selim chuckled, "I live in Central, which is the capital of Amestris. I was born during a coup and a battle in the city, and in the aftermath, the change in leadership to Fuhrer Grumman was slow. I lived at the fuhrer's mansion in Central command until I was three. My mother and I then moved to another military property in the city when repairs to the command center were complete, and Fuhrer Grumman could move in."

"Do you have any family outside of Central?"

"I have two uncles, Edward and Alphonse. Edward is a former State Alchemist, and he and Al taught me alchemy. They live in a small town called Resembool, and I sometimes visit them when I'm in the area, and they are back from their travels. Ed's wife and kids, my aunt and cousins, also live there, so I visit them, even if Ed and Al aren't there."

Sirius nodded. The two of them discussed what Ed and Al researched, and what Resembool was like until they reached the rest of the house's occupants.

-Line Break-

Selim woke up to find presents at the foot of his bed. Looking through them, he found that he'd been given books on magic, a homework planner (Hermione), and a few other gifts from the Order members and Weasley family. He was extremely glad that he'd gotten them some things as well, and kept looking through the presents. That's when he came across a present that had Mrs. Weasley's name on it as the sender. Opening it, he found a black wool sweater. When he unfolded it, he noticed something odd.

The sweater wasn't entirely black. On the front was the flamel symbol, like the one that Ed had had on the back of his coat years ago, and on the sleeves, there was red stitching running from the shoulders to the cuffs. They looked eerily similar to the nodes that had dotted the other homunculi's bodies.

 _Coincidence. That's all it is. You're being paranoid, Selim._

Dressing in his new sweater, Selim walked downstairs to celebrate Christmas with the others. The day passed nicely, with one extremely humorous moment when Mrs. Weasley blew up at her husband for getting stitches in the hospital. It was an attempt to close the wounds, but it hadn't worked. All in all, Selim thought things had gone well for his first Christmas.

That is, until that evening.

-Line Break-

"Harry, what are we doing?"

"We have things to do, you know."

"Pranks to plan-"

"-Snackboxes to make."

"Fred, George, I found something that might explain what Selim and Captain Hawkeye were talking about in their meeting."

Harry led Fred and George up to the bedroom he and Ron were sharing. Ron and Hermione were waiting for them.

"What do you need us for?"

"We need you to cast a translation charm on this letter."

Looking at the envelope, opened on one of the beds. Inside was a folder with several pieces of paper inside. Fred and George looked at them, then at Harry. Neither looked sure about casting the spell. Fred got his wand to cast the charm when a voice spoke from the doorway.

"Didn't anybody teach you that it's impolite to read other people's mail?"

Everyone turned to see Selim standing in the doorway. His face betrayed no emotion, and he just stared at them for a moment.

Then, he stepped into the room.

"Give me those papers, you five."

There was no threat in his tone or words, but he didn't sound happy. Harry didn't move.

"Not until you give us answers. You're hiding something. Why do you want to keep the homunculi secret from the Order?"

Selim started at that. Then he gritted his teeth and held out his hand.

"That doesn't concern you _or_ the Order. The contents of that file are a matter of the State. Now, _give them to me_ or I will arrest you for stealing them."

Selim's tone told them that he wasn't bluffing. Whether he was able to legally arrest them or not, he wasn't going to let them keep the file. Harry sighed and handed the file to Selim. The boy took it without a word. However, before he left the room, he turned and locked his eyes on Harry.

"How am I supposed to guard you if you keep looking for trouble?"

With that, he left.

 **Okay, I don't think that this chapter is as good as my last chapter, but I'm going to see Endgame soon, so I had to wrap it up quick. Let me know what you think in a review, or a PM, until the next chapter!**


	13. Post-Holiday Problems

**Hello, beloved readers and followers of my story! I have seen** _ **Avengers: Endgame**_ **, and it. Was. AWESOME! As to not spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it, I won't say anything else about it, but I will say something in regards to the end of school for myself. I now have an official date for returning my laptop. As a result, I don't think that I'll be able to update next weekend, unless I can get my new laptop set up by Sunday (however, that seems unlikely). But enough about my upcoming life events, instead, lets focus on the story!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Selim sat on his bed in the room at Grimmauld Place. He was _seething_ with anger. How dare they! How dare they decide that they should know about his secrets!

 _Nosey wizards!_

He flipped through the pages of the file that had been mailed to him. It included the homunculi's names, aliases, abilities, presumed ages, and how each was killed.

Lust, he knew, had been incinerated by Mustang to death beneath the Third Laboratory.

Gluttony, he'd eaten on the night before the Promised Day, in order to gain an advantage on Edward and his allies.

Sloth had been killed by the Armstrong siblings and the Curtises, killing him until his stone ran out.

Wrath had been killed by Scar and had died content, believing that his life had been a good life.

Envy's file seemed incomplete, Selim suspected there to be more than what had been told of his death, but the file said that Mustang had incinerated him to his helpless true form, and Envy had committed suicide. No reason for why was given, but Selim figured that it tied into Maes Hughes's death. Mustang had been friends with the man, after all.

Greed had been reabsorbed by Father, after the Amestrian souls had returned to their bodies, in an attempt to contain the power of God within himself. Greed had turned his Ultimate Shield on Father, leaving him weak to an attack from the humans. Greed's soul had been destroyed by Father after that.

And, Father himself, had been taken by the hands of Truth after Edward had destroyed his Philosopher's Stone. Selim remembered what Father had said about Truth taking things from alchemists to fit what they had been trying to do by performing the taboo in the first place. He wondered briefly what Father's punishment had been, but decided that he wouldn't be able to comprehend it.

Then, Selim heard a knock at his door. He sighed.

"What!"

The door opened to show an upset looking Hermione Granger.

"What do you want, Hermione?"

"I… I wanted to apologize, Selim. For stealing your mail."

"Hermione, I don't think that you realize how serious what you did _was_. The contents of that file are _extremely_ classified. It's taken me a long time to convince my superiors to let me see it. If you'd actually read it, I would have needed to make sure that you _never_ told anyone else, ever."

"Selim, I… I told them-"

"Clearly, you didn't really mean it if you wanted to see what it was about as well."

Hermione looked like she wanted to start crying. Selim sighed, and gave her a look.

"And why, exactly, did you want to read what was clearly an official document from Amestris?"

Hermione seemed to regain some composure at the question.

"It's because the Order won't tell us anything. We've dealt with Voldemort before, and they still treat us like kids. We thought that since you were here for the Order, you might be kept up to date with what was going on. We took the letter in order to get some answers. We planned on returning it."

"Hermione, there are a lot of problems with your motives here, but I'm still too upset to tell you right now. I'll tell all three of you when we go back to Hogwarts, I promise."

Hermione seemed to accept that. "Alright."

She left the room, and Selim turned back to the file on his bed.

-Line Break-

When the new year had arrived and the break began to wrap up, Selim prepared himself to explain to the trio why they should leave things to the Order. When they boarded the Knight Bus, a triple-decker bus that was more purple than anything reasonably should be, he sat with the trio on the top deck and spoke in a low tone to avoid being overheard.

"Alright, I promised Hermione that I'd explain why you shouldn't be doing what you are doing."

"You'll tell us what's going on?"

"No! I'm going to tell you why nobody's telling you anything." Selim sighed, "They aren't telling you anything because they want to protect you-"

"I don't need to be protected, I've fought Voldemort before!"

"And that is my point. You shouldn't have had to fight Voldemort ever. Harry, for everything else that you are, you are still a child. Sirius and Dumbledore and all the other Order members want to protect you so that you can have at least _something_ like a normal childhood. You're an orphan of war, but you don't have to fight, no matter what you might think. Stopping Voldemort isn't your responsibility, it is the fully trained and prepared witches and wizards that are responsible for that."

Harry seemed to realize that what Selim said made sense, he visibly relaxed slightly, and nodded.

"I agree that the DA is important, but t is important to help students learn, not to fight. Also, change the name. Dumbledore's Army is going to lead to the wrong conclusions, if it's found out."

Ron spoke up for the first time.

"So, what do the homunculi have to do with any of this?"

"The homunculi are a personal topic for me, and I'm not going to tell you for that reason. Why were you so distrustful of me, anyways?"

"Well, Selim, when I first met you, I got this feeling off of you. It reminded me of when I found this diary that had a memory of Voldemort in it. It possessed Ginny and made her send a basilisk after all the Muggleborn students, including Hermione, and petrifying them."

Selim froze. "Was it a memory, or a soul? It sounds more like a soul was what was doing that sort of thing."

Harry frowned at that.

"I don't know. He said that he was a memory. Maybe he was both? Why?"

Selim stared at them seriously.

"On the night before September 1st, I found a locket. I felt that it contained a soul, or something similar. It was too weak to be a true soul."

"Is that what I felt, and I thought it was you?"

"That is possible, and I'm going to research it in the library when we get back. Hopefully, they'll have something there."

"There is more that made us suspicious. You can see the thestrals, you talk with Malfoy all the time, and you keep avoiding us. Isn't a bodyguard supposed to _guard_?"

"I have my ways of keeping an eye on you. In addition, I have lost colleagues before at work, and while I haven't learned anything about Voldemort from Draco, he is actually quite willing to learn about Amestris."

Selim watched them realize that they assumed too many things about him and were looking apologetic about it.

"Now, are we done with the questions?"

The trio looked like they were about to respond, when the bus reached their stop. Selim and the others bid farewell to the Order members and started towards the school.

-Line Break-

Selim immediately sent word to Amestris when he read about the breakout. Ten of Voldemort's followers had broken out of a high-security prison with the papers blaming Sirius Black, as he'd escaped the prison himself. Things only got worse when another story appeared in the same newspaper. A worker at the Ministry who had been hospitalized had been strangled by a magical killer plant. The absurdity of it would have made Selim laugh if the trio hadn't told him that the man had worked in the area of the Ministry that had Voldemort's interest.

Hagrid being on probation was another blow to Harry and Selim wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't void the results of the inspection like in Amestris, or convince Umbridge to do it. She would be looking for any excuse to get him out of Hogwarts, preferably also court-martialed by his superiors. He'd been avoiding her outside of the DADA lessons. The teachers were also being blocked, the newest educational decree forbad them from sharing news with the students. As days passed, Selim was growing angrier and angrier at the Minister and Umbridge.

Things became much worse for Harry and Selim when an article was published in a magazine. An interview with Harry about Voldemort's return. It gathered him more support, sure. But then Umbridge came in.

Selim listened in to Umbridge speaking to Harry, then stepped in.

"I don't know about your government, Professor, but I know that when people in a position of authority harass those under them, they typically lose their positions."

That comment set Umbridge _ablaze._

"DETENTION, MR. BRADLEY! HOW DARE YOU…. HOW YOU KEEP OUT OF TROUBLE IS BEYOND ME, BUT IT ENDS NOW! I WILL NOT TOLERATE COMMENTS ABOUT MY METHODS SUCH AS THIS!"

She stalked off with the _magazine_ , and Selim grinned. _You really think you intimidate me?_

-Line Break-

Selim walked into Umbridge's office that night. He thought Umbridge might still have been slightly scared of him and his own political authority, or he would have had more than one detention.

"Ah, Mr. Bradley, welcome. Like Mr. Potter, you will be doing lines with a rather…special quill of mine. You will be writing, _I must respect my superiors,_ until the message…sinks in."

Selim took the evil-looking quill. He began to write. While he wasn't immune to pain, his attention was more on how the quill etched the words into his hand. It intrigued him greatly. He ignored his pain until Umbridge spoke.

"I believe that is enough for tonight. Now, let's see."

Selim showed her his hand, internally disgusted with how she seemed to take enjoyment with their pain.

"Now then, Mr. Bradley, I hope I start seeing some more respect from you. You may go now."

With blood still covering the back of his hand, Selim exited the room. He walked down the corridor until he entered a dark hallway. Ducking into it, he made sure Harry wasn't nearby, before looking back down at his hand and waited.

Red lightning crackled over his hand, skin pulling back together, erasing the words from his flesh. When the regeneration was complete, he stepped back out into the hallway, and resumed his journey back to the common room.

-Line Break-

Selim sad in the library. He'd been searching for months, but couldn't find anything about attaching a soul to an object or person. He was skipping the DA meeting for it, but didn't care. The Muggleborns were at least paying attention to him, the purebloods still weren't retaining what he taught them. For all he cared, they could stick to magic.

He heard running and glanced out the library door in time to see what looked like ALL of the DA members running. He thought about getting involved, but then heard other voices shouting. _So Umbridge finally found out, eh. I was right to take my name off that list, wasn't I?_

It wasn't until the next morning that Selim found out that Umbridge had replaced Dumbledore as headmistress of the school. When he found out, he sought out Harry.

"Why wasn't your name on the list?"

"What?"

"I remember you signing that list during the first meeting like everyone else. But, you're not in trouble. Why wasn't your name on the list?"

"I told you that if I was connected to your group in any way, it would cause political backlash. I was just covering my bases. Besides, I told you that the name 'Dumbledore's Army' would cause problems."

Selim was certain that what little trust Harry had in him was broken. And Selim didn't care. His job was to protect Harry Potter from Voldemort. Umbridge was another story, altogether.

 **And here's another chapter, dear readers! I probably rushed through these events from the book, and I'm sorry for that, but the sooner it happened, the sooner Selim has enough of Umbridge. Again, I probably won't be able to post next weekend, due to graduation and returning the laptop I'm currently using. I MIGHT be able to post on Tuesday, but no promises. Just have patience, and I will keep writing. Also, please review, that helps inspire me to write more! Until the next chapter!**


	14. The Rein of the Pink Toad

**Hello everyone! Thought I'd try to get one more chapter posted before finals! So, without further ado, let's begin!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Selim was walking down a hallway from class when he heard Malfoy's voice, along with several DA members.

"A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, handpicked by Professor Umbridge. Anyways, members of the Inquisitorial Squad _do_ have the power to dock points… So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress… MacMillan, five for contradicting me… Five because I don't like you, Potter… Weasley, your shirt's untuck, so I'll have another five for that… Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that…"

"Draco!"

The group turned to see Selim standing in front of them.

"Selim, I was"

"Draco, I heard what you said. What you're doing is abusing your position. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so Hermione's comment shouldn't cost points, MacMillan didn't know about the Inquisitorial Squad, so how could he know that you could dock points from him? That doesn't count. Docking points for dislike is straight up misuse of power and shouldn't count as a reason. Ron's shirt, I'll give you, if he's in uniform. But Hermione being Muggleborn? No. That is wrong."

"But there's-"

"Draco, I don't care. Do you want to hear a true story my uncle told me? There was a lieutenant named Yoki who was in charge of a mining town named Youswell. He'd originally owned the mines, but gradually got control of everything, gave insanely high taxes, and paid the townsfolk next to nothing. Then my uncle arrived in Youswell. He tricked Yoki into selling him the deed to the town, which he then sold back to the miners cheap. Afterwards, he reported Yoki for corruption and abuse of power, and Yoki fled. Now, he's working in a circus, all his power gone. Don't be like him, Draco."

Selim conveniently left out the good things Yoki did, like helping the humans to defeat the homunculi on the Promised Day. He watched Draco pale, and nodded for the DA members to leave. Selim turned and walked away.

Half an hour later, Filch told Selim that Umbridge wanted to see him. He walked to her office, which now had the word HEADMISTRISS on its door. Entering, he saw the woman sitting at her desk.

"Do sit down, Mister Bradley. Would you like something to drink?"

Selim knew how she thought of him, and immediately became suspicious. She really hated him, and everyone knew it. He also knew that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Tea, please."

She prepared the drink and handed it to him. He couldn't smell anything off about it, but pretended to drink.

"Now then, Mr. Bradley. Where is Albus Dumbledore?"

Selim frowned. Her knew Dumbledore had fled, but he didn't know where. He also knew Umbridge had no evidence that he was a DA member.

"I have no idea, Professor."

She gave him an ugly look at that.

"I am headmistress of this school now, Mr. Bradley. The might of the Ministry of Magic stands behind me. You may be a State Alchemist, but Amestris can't protect you from everything."

Selim gave her an obviously fake smile.

"I'll keep that in mind, Professor."

"Furthermore, my Inquisitorial Squad is opening and reading all mail entering and leaving the school, and the fireplaces are being monitored. If-"

Selim cut her off.

"My superiors send important private information to me occasionally. In addition, my reports are the business of my superiors and I. _Not_ you or your lackeys. If we find that you have interfered with my correspondence with them, Fuhrer Grumman will be very upset. Now then, I think we're done here."

Selim pushed his (still full) teacup back towards Umbridge. As he did, she caught a glimpse of his hand, completely healed from his detention. Her expression was priceless to witness. She might have thought that he could be controlled by punishment and spies, but Selim wasn't controlled by her. She'd _never_ control him. As he left, he heard Umbridge about to scream at him to stop when the castle was rocked by what sounded like an explosion.

The cause of the explosion was the Weasley twins, who had set off a crate of their own magical fireworks. Umbridge and Filch spent the majority of the day attempting to get rid of them. However, the Weasleys had done their work well, and the fireworks only got worse as they tried to stop them. Selim joined the students and teachers in watching Umbridge humiliate herself for the rest of the day.

-Line Break-

It wasn't long after that when the fifth year students were required to consult their Heads of House for career advice. Whatever happened with Harry during his session must have been entertaining to watch, as Umbridge was in a horrible mood. It wasn't until later when Selim saw them in the courtyard, surrounded by students, teachers, and Umbridge. Watching them, Selim felt like he should try to step in, to help them, _something_. But the twins fled the school on their brooms, leaving Umbridge without a target for punishment. Selim was extremely happy about that.

The week afterwards was glorious, as Fred and George's final prank left a lasting effect on one of the hallways, forcing Filch to take students across personally to get them to classes. Also, runners-up for Head Prankster began their own crusade to torture Umbridge and Filch. The Inquisitorial Squad was virtually helpless to assist him for their own trouble. Malfoy rarely had time to discuss things with Selim, and the single time they _did_ meet up, he was covered in fur and looked even more like a ferret than usual.

The poltergeist Peeves turned his own pranks up to eleven, to a point that Selim became slightly concerned, but didn't say anything. Neither did the teachers.

The real issue for Selim was communications. Umbridge had clearly decided that he was too dangerous to be allowed to write his reports by himself. She ordered him to write them in English, in her office, in front of her. He still wrote in code and communicated what was happening, but he also knew it was only a matter of time before she discovered what he was doing. He was even considering trying to use the Room of Requirement to open a telephone line to Amestris, to avoid owl post.

That time hadn't occurred yet, though, and Selim was sure that the minute Grumman received a letter that seemed altered in any way, angry letters would be winging their way to both Umbridge and the Minister. Honestly, he was even looking forward to it.

-Line Break-

Selim didn't attend the Quidditch match that won Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup, but he heard about it from EVERYONE. He also heard about Hagrid's giant half-brother Grawp from Hermione and Harry. From their descriptions, Selim thought Grawp was about Sloth's size, and that had been enough to convince him that he wanted nothing to do with him.

 _If Hagrid had asked me along with Harry and Hermione, I would have said yes,_ he thought, _however, he didn't, and I have no obligation to help him with his brother at all._

Fifth years were also becoming more agitated as their OWLs approached. Selim was thankful that he didn't have to deal with those tests himself. The State Alchemist's exam was almost certainly harder, but that was something else. Selim himself was organizing his own findings, planning to use them alongside his research from prior to arriving at Hogwarts for his State Alchemist's re-certification after returning to Amestris.

It was the first day of the OWLs when he was approached by one of the examiners. Selim was writing down every scrap of information he had about magical alchemy in a notebook when he heard a voice call out.

"Excuse me? Are you the exchange student? The Amestrian?"

Selim looked up to see an elderly witch staring at him.

"Yes, that's me. Can I help you?"

The witch nodded at him before sitting across from him.

"I was just curious about what you thought of the school this year. A lot of changes have been made since it started, and I wanted to hear how Professor Umbridge has been running things from someone who wasn't familiar with how things normally are here."

Selim shrugged before responding.

"I think that the students would have serious difficulty with Defense Against the Dark Arts if they hadn't been practicing the spells in a study group, which Umbridge shut down. They'll probably pass now that they've had a chance to practice."

The examiner nodded in agreement before taking notice of Selim's notes.

"Excuse me, what are you writing?"

Selim ignored the nosiness and explained.

"While fifth years have their OWLs, I have my own exam to take when I return to Amestris. My State Alchemist's re-certification. I'm gathering all my research that I've made in the past year in order to present it to my superiors. They want to make sure their money is being well-spent."

The witch's face took on a serious look.

"I'd better let you get back to that, then. Thank you for your time."

And with that, she rose and walked away.

Selim watched her go and went back to his notes. He finished quickly and walked back to the common room. He had a bad feeling that Umbridge was going to make a move soon, and he'd need to be ready when she did.

His feelings were right, as on the last day of OWL exams, he found out that Hagrid had fled from an arrest attempt, and McGonagall was in the hospital wing for interfering.

 **And another chapter is out! I've had a busy day, and I'm ready to take a break. I'll still try to post a new chapter on Tuesday, but I still make no promises. Either way, we're getting very close to the ending. Review on what you liked, I love hearing your opinions. Until the next chapter!**


	15. Comeuppance See Me Sometime

**Hello again, fanfiction readers! I thought I'd start writing this chapter when I had the chance, just to start the climax of the story before changing computers. So, without further ado, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Selim sat in the courtyard of Hogwarts putting the finishing touches on his re-certification report. Peering through the shadows, he saw that Harry was now starting his written Charms exam. With all the examiners and students in the room, he was unconcerned about an attack, and returned to his research. The examiner who had spoken to him, Madame Marchbanks, had thanked him for attending Hogwarts that year and hoped to see more information exchanged between their two countries in the future. Selim wasn't sure whether he agreed, certainly not with Umbridge in charge.

Some time passed before he heard shouting coming from nearby. Standing, he tucked his papers under his arm and hurried to investigate. He found Harry and his friends in the hallway. Harry looked upset and Hermione and Ron looked frightened.

"What's going on?"

Harry spun to face Selim.

"Selim! Do you know how to get in contact with the Order?"

Selim shook his head. The Floo and owl post were being watched and Grimmauld Place certainly didn't have a phone. Certainly, the members stationed at school had more secure ways of communicating, but he didn't know what they were.

"I don't know, Harry. The other teachers were my connection to them. Why? What's happened?"

"Voldemort's got Sirius!"

Selim blinked. How could that have happened? He might not have known as much about magic as the others, but he knew Grimmauld Place was pretty heavily protected against unwanted guests.

"How do you know this?"

"I saw it! In a dream, like when Mr. Weasley was attacked! We need to let the Order know!"

Selim was mildly impressed. For once, Harry wasn't rushing off to save the day himself and instead was trying to go to the adults he could trust.

"I don't know how to contact them, Harry. I'm sorry."

"Then we'll go to save him ourselves!"

And like that, Selim's new respect for Harry Potter was gone.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Harry! If you saw that, and it's true, then that is the LAST place you should be. Besides, how would Voldemort get into your government's headquarters? Even if they aren't looking for him, they would be looking for Sirius. Think about this logically!"

But Harry WASN'T listening. Not to him, not to his friends, not until they established that IF, AND ONLY IF, Sirius wasn't at Grimmauld Place, they would go to the Ministry of Magic and rescue Sirius. Selim wasn't happy about that plan. His job was to guard Harry and it wouldn't be easy to guard him while searching for Sirius. However, Selim had needed to improvise in tight spots before, and could adapt quickly. He okayed the idea.

-Line Break-

Selim, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and Luna prepared to break into the office. Harry had a cloak that made the wearer invisible, as well as a knife that could open any lock. Ginny, Luna, and Ron made up an excuse as to keep others away from the office. Selim accompanied Hermione and Harry to the office, and they entered.

Selim stood guard at the door while Hermione took the window and Harry put his head in the fireplace to contact Grimmauld Place. They were there for maybe a minute, before he felt his limbs _freeze_. Unable to move, Selim could only watch as Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad entered the office. Umbridge flashed Selim a particularly ugly smile, and simpered, "I don't think that your Fuhrer can protect you _this_ time."

Selim wanted to shred her to pieces, but while he _could_ still use the shadows, he didn't dare attack with them in front of so many witnesses. Umbridge then dragged Harry's head out of the fire. He was choking on ash and looked panicked and furious. Umbridge whispered to him,

"You think that after two nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging little creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Sensoring Spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy. Take his wand," she barked at Malfoy, "Her's too…"

She then turned back to Selim.

"Well, well. So you show your true colors at last, you insolent Muggle. I'm sure that the Minister would love to hear that the honored State Alchemist kindly invited to attend Hogwarts was, in reality, an agent sent to remove him from power! I'll see to it that Amestris is dealt with later, once we've regained order here."

Selim was stunned. She was actually talking about war? He cursed himself for not using his shadows to keep watch. Before Umbridge turned back to Harry, he said one more thing to her."

"Even with your magic, if you fight us, you _will_ lose."

That wasn't a bluff. The Wizarding World had no army. Amestris did. That included tanks, guns, bombs, _and_ the State Alchemists. Umbridge still didn't look concerned. She turned back to Harry.

"I want to know why you are in my office."

"I was – trying to get my Firebolt!"

"Liar. Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"

"No one –"

" _Liar!_ " Umbridge threw Harry away from her, into her desk. A moment later, the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad filed in with Ron, Ginny, Luna, and even Neville. They explained to Umbridge that they'd taken Neville when he'd tried to protect Ginny.

"So, Potter, you stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she said, nodding at Ron, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so.

Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone…"

Malfoy and the other Slytherins laughed, but he stopped after seeing Selim's glare, one he had copied from Hawkeye.

"It's none of your business who I talk to."

Umbridge sneered at Harry's response.

"Very well. Very well, Mr. Potter… I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco – fetch Professor Snape."

Selim didn't know why she wanted Snape, but knew it couldn't be good. However, he also knew Snape was a member of the Order, and if he could send a secret message to him, he could inform the others. Harry seemed to come to this realization, too.

The room was silent until Snape arrived.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?"

"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."

Selim didn't know what that was, but he could guess. From the circumstances, it would probably make Harry tell the truth, whether he wanted to or not.

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter. Surely you did not use it all? I told you three drops would be sufficient."

Selim was relieved to know that Snape needed a month to make more truth serum.

"I wish to interrogate him! I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"

"I have already told you that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter – and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did – I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling…"

Harry kept staring at Snape. He must have been trying to make Snape read his mind for the message, but saw nothing to confirm that he understood. Selim was at a loss for ideas on how to pass the message himself.

Umbridge screamed at Snape that he was on probation and for him to get out of her office. As he did, Harry shouted after him,

"He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"

"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Harry to Snape to Selim. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"

Snape let nothing show on his face.

"I have no idea."

Selim watched him leave, then turned to Umbridge.

"I've never heard of Padfoot in my life."

Padfoot had to mean Sirius, and Snape certainly _did_ know. Selim commended the man on his acting ability, it was impressive.

Umbridge was seething with rage, and walked towards them, pulling out her wand.

"Very well… Very well… I am left with no alternative… This is more than a matter of school discipline… This is a matter of Ministry security… Yes… yes…"

She seemed to be talking herself into something. Her nervousness about whatever it was made Selim nervous. Umbridge was willing to carve words into students' hands while making them write lines in their blood. Whatever it was that made her hesitate, Selim _did not_ want her to use it.

"You are forcing me, Potter… I do not want to," said Umbridge, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use… I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice…"

Her wording was different, but Selim was reminded of when he'd forced Mustang through the Portal of Truth. If Umbridge really didn't want to do this, she must have thought that there was no other way, just like on the Promised Day…

"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.

Hermione screamed that it was illegal, but Umbridge didn't seem to care. In fact, she looked _more_ excited about the idea of using the curse on Harry than nervous.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him. He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same…"

Selim stared at Umbridge. One way or another, he was going to make her _pay_. Someone like her was clearly not deserving of the positions she held. She'd made it her mission to ruin the life of a 15-year-old boy, and now planned to torture him for information, _without her boss's approval!_ He stared at her in horror.

"Only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today, though, not now…"

She was about to cast the spell, when Hemione screamed, "NO!"

She looked like she was about to break down and began to tell Harry that they needed to give up. Harry, unsurprisingly, didn't agree. Hermione actually started to cry on the Slytherin holding her, and she let her go.

The DA members protested, but Hermione just looked defeated.

Umbridge looked ecstatic.

"Now then…with whom was Potter communicating just now?"

"Well," gulped Hermione into her hands, "well, he was _trying_ to speak to Professor Dumbledore…"

Ah… There it was. Hermione wasn't giving up, she was trying to trick Umbridge. Selim also respected her acting ability, she'd even fooled _him_. Umbridge was eating it up, because it was exactly what she wanted to hear.

The conversation between the two of them continued until Hermione brought up a weapon, which caught Umbridge's attention.

"Weapon? Weapon? You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"

"Y-y-yes! But he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-c-can't find him t-t-to tell him!"

"What kind of weapon is it?" said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione's shoulders.

"We don't r-r-really understand it. We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do…"

"Lead me to the weapon."

Hermione protested, and Selim knew his time had come to strike. _You'll regret crossing me, Umbridge._

"I'll take you to it!"

Umbridge looked over at Selim.

"If you honestly think I'll trust you for anything, Mr. Bradley, you are greatly mistaken."

"Well, if I don't, then you'll have no way to defeat the weapons and State Alchemists of Amestris. They"ve already wiped out the Ishvalans. Do you want your government to stop Dumbledore, only to fall to my country?"

Umbridge gaped at him for a moment, then waved her wand. Restraints not unlike those that were used to restrain Kimblee in prison appeared around his wrists.

"Very well, Mr. Bradley. I will follow you. But, I will not allow you to try any tricks with your alchemy. Get up, now –"

Malfoy cut in, advising Umbridge to take some members of the Inquisitorial Squad with her. She ignored him.

"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage a wandless and restrained teenager alone? In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these" – she gestured around at Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna – "escape."

Selim glanced at Hermione, and she mouthed, "Grawp."

Umbridge pointed her wand at Selim. "Lead on…"

-Line Break-

Selim led Umbridge downstairs to the entrance hall. She followed closely behind him, so when she spoke, he heard her clearly.

"Why would you lead me to a weapon that could destroy your country?"

Selim let no emotion show in his voice.

"I said defeat, not destroy. I don't want a war between our countries. Between your magic and Amestris's military might, your magic would lose. Unless, of course, you had an army of immortal soldiers…"

He trailed off, letting her ponder the statement.

"Immortal soldiers? What do you mean? The girl said that it was a weapon!"

"The 'weapon,' as you called it, is a transmutation circle designed to create Philosopher's Stones. With enough Stones, and vessels for them to animate, like mannequins or dolls, you'd have an army of unkillable soldiers. There's a rumor that during the coup, Amestrian High Command used doll soldiers that almost decimated the Central troops."

Okay, Selim had elaborated a bit, and hadn't told Umbridge everything, but he had her attention.

"You told me that the recipe for Philosopher's Stones was classified."

"It is, but let's just say that a school is a good place to find the ingredients for Stones…"

They left the school and walked towards the Forbidden Forest. The evening sun cast long shadows behind them. _Perfect._

"It's hidden in Hagrid's hut, is it?"

"Of course not, Hagrid might have damaged the circle. Damaged circles are _extremely_ dangerous."

"Yes, yes, he would have done, of course, the great half-breed oaf…"

Selim jerked his head at the forest.

"It's in there. It couldn't be where students were likely to find it."

"Of course…very well, then…you stay ahead of me."

"Alright, then. Be warned, it's very far in, and very well hidden."

They journeyed further into the forest, the trees close on either side of them. Umbridge stumbled often, Selim, who'd spent a month learning survival skills in the woods outside of Kanama **(Where Pride fought them with Al's armor, but after the Promised Day)** , was unbothered.

"How much further?"

"Not far now!"

They reached a small clearing and stopped. Umbridge looked around, then pointed her wand at Selim.

"Well, where is it? You told me it would be here! You… You were trying to trick me, weren't you? You - "

" _ **SILENCE!"**_

Shadows appeared around the edges of the clearing. Shadows and eyes and…teeth. Umbridge shrieked and stumbled towards him, as if to use him as protection.

" _ **You think you have power over me?"**_

Selim wasn't speaking through his mouth, he was speaking through the shadows. That seemed to terrify Umbridge even more.

 _ **I have seen and done many terrible things in my life, but you are far worse than me. I did horrible things to people, but you concentrated on one person, making life unbearable for him. You did everything you could to control me, but you don't control me."**_

Smaller tendrils of shadow extended from Selim's feet and began to wrap around Umbridge. She whimpered in fear, staring at Selim's expressionless face.

" _ **Over the course of this year, I have seen you abuse your authority, gaining power after power. You did everything you could to shut Harry up, and have admitted to not only preparing to torture him, but also attempting to KILL him."**_

Umbridge recovered some nerve and shouted, "Child – "

" _ **I am no child, Professor Umbridge. You made the mistake of assuming I was. That allowed me to get out of your notice. You asked what was out in the real world? I'm an example of what is out there. Perhaps practicing spells wasn't such a bad idea now, was it?"**_

Umbridge looked like she wanted to wet herself. She couldn't move, and her wand had now been taken by the shadows. It lay on the ground nearby.

 _ **To say you don't deserve to live would be hypocritical of my own past actions. They may be nothing good in you at all, but killing you WOULD cause a war. However, I can't have you stopping us now, so…"**_

The shadows pushed Umbridge into the air as she screamed, pressing her against a tree trunk about twenty feet in the air. Alchemical lightning crackled around her, Transmuting the tree, and her body was fully encased in the tree, with only her head still visible so she could breathe. The shadows retracted back into Selim's body, and he turned to face the "High Inquisitor."

" _ **Stick around, Professor."**_

As he left, with one more insult to the professor, he stepped on her wand and broke it in half.

 **Well, here we are, where Umbridge gets her comeuppance. I'm not entirely happy with how I wrote it, but since she appears in the Deathly Hallows, I couldn't have Selim kill her. Also, a Ministry official killed by an Amestrian diplomat probably wouldn't go over well, politically. Well, I'll probably not post until next week, as the laptop needs to be returned tomorrow, and I will need to set up my new one when I get it. I hope this tides all of you over. Until the next chapter!**


	16. The Trap is Sprung

**Hello, everybody! I am so, so sorry for not posting sooner. I still don't have a new laptop, so I'm using my mom's. It's old, so I try to avoid using it. So then, let's begin!**

 **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter.**

Selim had been hiking back from trapping Umbridge in a tree when he heard noises approaching. Discreetly using the shadows to observe who was approaching, he saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna searching for him. He headed over to meet them.

"What've you done with Umbridge?"

"Transmuted a tree around her so she couldn't interfere with us. What about you?"

Ron briefly summarized how they'd used some quick spellwork to incapacitate the Inquisitorial Squad. Harry then confirmed that Sirius wasn't at Grimmauld Place and Selim conceded that a rescue was in order. There were problems, however. How would they get to the Ministry?

Selim was about to suggest the now-unguarded Floo, but couldn't get a word in over the suggestion of flying. That prompted an argument over who would go to the Ministry, with 'you're too young's and other excuses being used.

The Selim spoke up.

"All of us should go. We're more likely to find Sirius if there are more of us to look."

Harry glared at him.

"You're not coming. You abandoned us when Umbridge caught us in the Room of Requirement."

"You saw her reaction to finding me with you in her office. Written proof that I was working against her would have been worse. I'm not going to start a war between my country and yours. In addition, I am a fully trained State Alchemist of Amestris and my assignment is as your bodyguard. You aren't leaving without me."

Neville and Luna looked shocked at his job title and assignment, but didn't say anything. The Golden Trio stopped protesting his joining them.

It took some time for the seven to find thestrals for transportation to the Ministry, but they did so in the end. As they mounted up for the trip, Selim was reminded of before Amestris built their railroad. When he or one of the other homunculi had needed to get somewhere, they'd taken horses. Slower, yes. But they got there in the end. And that would be the case here, as well.

The journey took several hours. Selim could only imagine how strange it must have been to rider one of the thestrals without being able to see it. Occasionally, he heard someone yell or swear when their thestral adjusted its course, but nobody fell off.

When they landed, Selim dismounted with ease, while some of the others had trouble. Harry led them to an old telephone booth and they all crammed inside. Selim was closest to the receiver and dialed the number Harry told him to. A cool female voice sounded.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

Harry hurriedly spoke up.

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Selim Bradley. We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"

The booth distributed badges for them, and sank into the ground into a large, open area. The whole area was empty, which felt wrong to Selim. Surely someone from the magical government was working late, or security was on duty. He began to stretch his shadows out as discreetly as he could, trying to find someone, _anyone,_ who was working.

They reached a lift and entered. Harry informed it of their destination, and they reached it quickly. When they exited and reached the door Harry was looking for, Selim was now wary. He moved his hands together in order to transmute.

Opening the door, they found a large, circular room with numerous doors around them. The minute they entered, the door behind them closed, and the walls began to spin. When they stopped, there was no telling which door was which. Ron voiced the question.

"Where do we go, then, Harry?"

"I don't – In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room – that's this one- and then I went through another door into a room that kind of…glitters. We should try a few doors."

Selim narrowed his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that the second we close a door in here, the walls will spin again. Let me try something, first."

He walked over to a door, opened it, and observed the brains swimming in a large tank of water inside. Before he closed the door, he clapped his hands and transmuted the paint. The door turned bright red. A moment later, the walls started moving again, but a red blob could be seen against the black blur. When the doors stopped, the door was still bright red.

Hermione instructed everyone else to mark a fiery 'X' on the doors they tried. They started checking doors. Then, they found it. Harry had found a room with an upper level and a lower level. The levels were connected by steps. In the center of the room, he could see a raised dais with an ancient, crumbling archway on top of it. In the archway was a tattered black veil that moved like someone had just passed through it. It gave Selim an uneasy feeling, and he moved to close the door. However, Harry scrambled into the room, calling for Sirius. Selim and the others hurried after him.

As they entered the room, Selim became aware of a muted whispering coming from the archway. Hermione and the others started calling for them to come back. When they did, Selim shivered as they closed and marked the door.

The whispering he'd heard… He could have sworn it was his _siblings_.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, they gathered around the next door. It wouldn't open. Hermione tried to use _Alohamora_. That did nothing. Harry tried to use his magic knife. The blade melted, but the door stayed locked. Selim even tried to transmute the door. Not even a spark occurred. They abandoned the door and moved on to the next.

When the walls stopped spinning, Harry opened the door to the next room which, luckily, was the one they were looking for. However, as they walked past the strange contents of the room, Selim's wariness blossomed into full-fledged suspicion. _No one_ was there. It had to be a trap. As they progressed through the isles of strange glass globes, he prepared to voice that idea to the others. As it was, Hermione did it for him.

"I…I don't think Sirius is here."

Harry was already angry, and Hermione's comment seemed to embarrass him as well. They were silent for a moment before Ron pointed out that one of the glass globes had Harry's name on it. Selim cautioned him not to touch it, but Harry did so anyway.

Nothing happened, until they heard a voice behind them say, "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

-Line Break-

Selim cursed under his breath. It had been obvious that this was a trap from the start, and yet he STILL let his guard down? He subtly moved his hands into a position to transmute as a dozen figures in black robes and masks appeared out of nowhere. Ginny gasped at the sight of them.

"To me, Potter," drawled the voice of the Death Eater who had spoken before. Something about his voice struck Selim as familiar.

"You're Draco's father, aren't you?" He inquired.

The hooded man turned to him and faintly inclined his head.

"And you are the alchemist that the Dark Lord ordered me to instruct Draco to befriend in order to find out more about you. A shame that you didn't accept my invitation to stay for Christmas. You could have chosen to join us then."

Selim stiffened at the statement. "My father saw everyone as lesser beings to him, once. It didn't end well for him." He ignored the looks that the DA members were giving him and he stepped back away from Mr. Malfoy, who turned back to Harry.

"To me," he said yet again.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked.

The Death Eaters laughed. One spoke up, "The Dark Lord always knows!"

"Always," echoed Malfoy softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry shouted.

Selim turned to him and admitted his suspicions. "Harry, he's not here. I don't think he ever was. Whatever link you and Voldemort share, he used that against you."

The female Death Eater from before shrieked at him, "YOU DARE UTTER HIS NAME WITH YOUR FILTHY MUGGLE TONGUE!?"

Selim regarded her with cold eyes. "You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot say. I will call your master what I want, not what you want me to call him."

The woman pulled off her hood. She looked skeletal and hollowed out, but despite that, she still looked dangerous. Her eyes locked on Selim and she drew a knife from her robes.

"I won't waste my magic on killing you, you – "

"Bellatrix!"

Lucius Malfoy had been trying to convince Harry to give him the prophecy by telling him that it would explain his scar. That caught Selim's attention. Harry seemed just as interested. As the Death Eater continued to tempt Harry, Selim stared at the orb in Harry's hand. Then, harry yelled, "NOW!"

Five voices shouted, _"REDUCTO!"_ , and shelves toppled. Selim quickly clapped his hands together and deconstructed the legs of another shelf. The DA members bolted. As they split up, Selim ran towards the exit, using his shadows to keep a lookout. He was physically stronger and faster than the wizards, but they had longer legs on their side, and they could try to outmaneuver him. That's exactly what happened as a Death Eater lunged out of an aisle and grabbed him under his arms to pick him up. Selim clapped his hands together and pressed one to the Death Eater's face, like Scar had done to Dr. Marcoh. The man screamed and dropped Selim, clutching at his face, as the exposed flesh rubbed against the fabric. Selim kept running.

He kept moving through the Department of Mysteries, dodging or fighting Death Eaters periodically. When he reached the room with the archway, he saw the Death Eaters surrounding Harry and Neville, whose nose was bleeding. The other members of the DA were all injured and captured. Selim was about to move to help them when he felt arms wrap around him and labored breathing. He had a feeling that this was the one who he had applied, 'Scar's Cosmetic Alchemy,' on. He was carried over to where the others stood as Harry attempted to bargain for their freedom.

Neville screamed as Bellatrix began to use the Cruciatus Curse on him. Selim watched it happen, then watched Harry begin to hold the prophecy out for Lucius Malfoy to take. That's when Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley burst in. As the Death Eaters and the Order members began launching spells at each other, Selim summoned a shadow from behind the Death Eater holding him. When nobody was looking, he struck. The Death Eater collapsed and Selim made his way over to Harry and Neville. The three began to fight Death Eaters that made it to them. Sirius joined them and ordered Harry to take the others and run.

As spells flew everywhere, Selim watched Harry struggle to grab Neville and help him limp away. Selim went to help, but both boys lost their balance and the prophecy fell. Selim watched it shatter on the steps. None of them could hear what the figure in the prophecy said, but it didn't matter at that point. Selim grabbed Neville and helped Harry to guide him past Dumbledore, who had joined the battle. Most of the Death Eaters were retreating, and only Bellatrix remained, dueling with Sirius, right in front of the veil.

Then a spell made it under Sirius's guard. He fell backwards into the veil, and Selim was suddenly aware that he was supporting Neville himself. He watched Harry run down the steps towards the veil, only to be intercepted by Lupin. He couldn't hear what they said, but Selim knew one thing for certain.

He knew that Sirius Black was dead.

 **Once again, I am so sorry for my delay on posting this chapter. I'm planning to get my new laptop next weekend, but I'll try to make my selection THIS weekend. Once I've got it set up, I'll write and post my next chapter. I hope that I've not lost any readers, and we're reaching the last few chapters. Until the next chapter!**


	17. Shadows v Magic

**Surprise! My parents and I were able to get my laptop** _ **this**_ **weekend! It's awesome, now I can do whatever I want! During the time between my last upload and the upload before that, I went to a Walk Off the Earth concert, had an awesome graduation party, watched Shazam and Detective Pikachu,** _ **and**_ **I found some new shows I like on Netflix. However, this is a chapter I've been waiting to write for a long time. It's time to do this!**

 **I don't own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. They belong to their respective owners.**

Harry screamed Sirius's name at the veil, hoping that, by some miracle, his godfather would step out from behind the curtain and rejoin the battle. Lupin was dragging Harry away from the dais as the battle raged around them. Neville attempted to give his condolences and told Harry where the other DA members were, but Harry wasn't listening. He was too upset to focus on anything other than Sirius's death.

That's when he heard a bang and a yell from the dais. Bellatrix had subdued Kingsley and was fleeing up the stairs. Harry watched as Dumbledore aimed a spell that she deflected, and he ripped his arm away from Lupin.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" bellowed Harry. "SHE KILLED HIM - I'LL KILL HER!"

He ran towards the stairs after Bellatrix. After what she'd done, he wasn't going to let her get away. She cast a spell back at him, but it missed and struck the tank with the brains inside. He heard footsteps behind him and glanced back to see Selim hot on his heels. The young alchemist was shouting something that he couldn't hear correctly.

Harry turned back ahead and aimed his wand behind him. He shouted, " _Impedimentia!"_ and put on a burst of extra speed. He didn't know if the spell had hit Selim, but the absence of footsteps behind him became evident quickly. He burst through the revolving room and towards the lifts.

As he reached the Atrium, he saw Bellatrix standing near the telephone lift at the other end of the hall. She aimed another spell at him and he dodged behind the fountain. He listened as Bellatrix stopped running.

" _Come out, come out, little Harry!"_ she called, which echoed off the polished wooden floors. "What did you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!"

"I am!" shouted Harry, and a score of ghostly Harrys seemed to chorus _I am! I am!_ all around the room.

"Aaaaaah. . .did you _love_ him, little baby Potter?"

Hatred rose in Harry such as he had never known before. He flung himself out from behind the fountain and bellowed _"Crucio!"_

Bellatrix screamed. The spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe and shriek with pain as Neville had - she was already on her feet again, breathless, no longer laughing. Harry dodged behind the golden fountain again - her counterspell hit the head of the handsome wizard, which was blown off and landed twenty feet away, gouging long scratches into the wooden floor.

"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy?" she yelled. She had abandoned her baby voice now. "You need to _mean_ them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain - to enjoy it - righteous anger won't hurt me for long - I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson -"

Harry ducked back behind the fountain as Bellatrix's curse blew off the centaur's bow-wielding arm. He and Bellatrix continued like that for a moment, casting spells at each other and Bellatrix screaming at him. Harry heard the lift doors at the end of the hall open, but paid them no mind. His focus was on Bellatrix.

"Potter, I am going to give you one chance!" shouted Bellatrix. "Give me the prophecy - roll it out to me now - and I may spare your life!"

"Well, you're going to have to kill me, because it's gone!" Harry roared - and as he shouted it, pain seared across his forehead. His scar was on fire again, and he felt a surge of fury that was quite unconnected with his own rage. "And he knows!" said Harry with a mad laugh to match Bellatrix's own. "Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it's gone! He's not going to be happy with you, is he?"

"What? What do you mean?" She cried, and for the first time there was fear in her voice.

"The prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! What do you think Voldemort'll have to say about that, then?"

His scar seared and burned. . . The pain of it was making his eyes stream. . . .

"LIAR!" she shrieked, but he could hear the terror behind the anger now "YOU'VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME - _Accio Prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!"_

Harry laughed again because he knew it would incense her. She continued to scream spells as he taunted her, and as she began to beg forgiveness from her master, he shouted to her, "Don't waste your breath! He can't hear you from here!"

"Can't I, Potter?"

Harry stared at Voldemort, who had appeared in the middle of the hall, and froze.

"So you smashed my prophecy?" said Voldemort softly, staring at Harry with those pitiless red eyes. "No, Bella, he is not lying. . . I see the truth looking at me from within his worthless mind. . . Months of preparation, months of effort. . .and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again…

Bellatrix grovelled for forgiveness with excuses, and attempted to tell Voldemort that Dumbledore was there as well, but he ignored her.

"I have nothing more to say to you, Potter," he said quietly. "You have irked me too often, for too long."

The sound of running footsteps caught their attention, and both Harry and Voldemort turned to see Selim Bradley running down the hall towards them. Voldemort glanced at Harry with a bemused look, then raised his wand in the alchemist's direction.

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

The green flash of light lit up the Atrium before it struck Selim in the chest, blasting him onto his back. Voldemort didn't even glance at the body before turning back to Harry.

"And now, Potter… For you."

A loud crackling noise had them look back at Selim's body. Red lightning was crackling over his chest and lower torso. As it did, Harry saw his hand twitch.

Then, the alchemist leapt to his feet.

-Line Break-

Selim was more annoyed than anything else.

The spell hadn't inconvenienced him much, simply knocking him down for a moment. The spell Harry had hit him with earlier had caused much more trouble. The alchemical lightning stopped flickering as the wizards stared at him. He locked his own gaze on the man who'd been about to kill Harry.

"So you're Voldemort."

Voldemort. A strange name, for such a pathetic creature. He'd clearly distorted his body so much that he could hardly be called human anymore. His form was clearly created to scare people, to live up to the rumors that made people flinch whenever his name was spoken.

The man in question gasped, "Impossible… No Muggle could survive the Killing Curse!"

Selim fixed him with a cold smirk.

" **Who said I was human?"**

At the sound of his voice, both Harry and Voldemort stepped back, away from him. The latter raised his wand and shouted the curse again. It didn't reach him, as a shadowy tendril intercepted it in midair. The Dark wizard roared in rage and Selim extended the shadows to attack.

The shadows missed Voldemort as he Apparated away, but he barely had time to shield himself before they were on him when he reappeared. Shadow spears jabbed and lunged at him, leaving him on the defensive. He didn't want to kill Voldemort, not until Ministry saw that he really wasn't dead. He felt a pain in his back, and his shadow eyes told him that Bellatrix had thrown her knife into his back. As the shadows pushed Voldemort away, he reached behind him and pulled the knife out, the wound already starting to regenerate.

Unfortunately, his shadows lessened their attack as he regenerated, leaving Voldemort time to cast a spell.

" _LUMOS MAXIMA!"_

A large ball of light erupted from the wand. All around the Atrium, the shadows burst, and Selim felt another Killing Curse strike him as Voldemort struck back. Shielding his eyes from the bright light, Selim dodged a following spell and transmuted the floor into a barrier. The Dark Lord Apparated around the barrier and Selim knocked his legs out from under him and rolled away. As he did, he clapped and transmuted a spire from the stone. The spire skewered the ball of light and shadows returned.

As Voldemort leveled his wand towards Selim for another spell, the alchemist clapped his hands and pressed one to the bowl of the fountain. The part of the bowl he touched was reformed into a slide that poured water all over the floor. As it did, Selim transmuted it into ice and slid shadows underneath, before tearing them up and exploding the ice sheet into thousands of deadly shards. Voldemort, however, simply caught the shards with a spell and threw them back at Selim and Harry. Selim swiped at the shards with his shadows, but knew that he couldn't stop them all. The shadows formed a transmutation circle that formed a stone wall between Harry and the ice, and Selim began to brace himself as the shards began to tear at his clothes and body, when the ice suddenly melted. Turning to see the source of the spell, Selim saw Dumbledore approaching. The old wizard turned to Selim.

"Stay back, Mr. Bradley. I will take care of him now."

Selim nodded and hurried back towards Harry, who was still behind the stone wall. As he approached, the boy wizard raised his wand at Selim, who regarded it with confusion.

"Do you really think I'm going to kill you, Harry? I just saved you from him."

Harry lowered his wand hesitantly, before the sound of water splashing made them turn.

It appeared that Dumbledore had levitated the remaining water in the fountain around Voldemort, who had then vanished. Harry moved towards Dumbledore before he shouted, "Stay where you are, Harry!"

Selim felt a chill. Dumbledore sounded frightened. That _could not_ be good. Then, Selim felt the energy of a soul nearby. It didn't come from any of the people in the room, and it felt similar to the energy from the locket and Harry's…

Harry collapsed to the floor, and Dumbledore rushed over to the two boys. As he did, something spoke with a mix of both Harry's and Voldemort's voices.

" _Kill me now, Dumbledore. . . If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy. . ."_

Selim looked to Dumbledore, then back to Harry. Neither of them did anything. Selim could guess that Voldemort was using his link to Harry's mind in order to possess him as a shield. It was certainly effective. It was a moment later that Voldemort seemed to leave Harry's body and reappear momentarily in the Atrium. As he did, the fireplaces burst to life, and people entered the room. Voldemort sneered, grabbed Bellatrix, and Disapparated.

Dumbledore tended to Harry, as Selim took in the scene. Most of the arriving wizards were screaming about seeing Voldemort, including the Minister, but one or two were staring at his shadows. He retracted them quickly, and turned back to Dumbledore. The Minister walked over to speak to Dumbledore, and Selim decided to take care of one more thing.

Walking over to a square-jawed woman wearing a monocle, he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, do you know if the person in charge of law enforcement in the magical world is here?"

The woman did a double take at him, then nodded.

"That would be me. Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE. Why?"

Selim smiled internally.

"I'd like to report that during her time at Hogwarts, Professor Umbridge forced several students, myself included, to write lines for detention with a quill that used the writer's own blood as ink, and etched the words into their hand. In addition, once they have been treated for their injuries, I'm sure that Ronald Weasley, Ginerva Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood will confirm that yesterday afternoon, in Professor Umbridge's office, she admitted to sending dementors after Harry Potter last summer, as well as preparing to use the Cruciatus Curse on Mr. Potter when he refused to tell her Dumbledore's location, information that he did not know. She also abused her authority in many other ways over the course of the school year. I'm sure you'd like to investigate that."

Madam Bones stared at Selim is shock and surprise.

"I certainly will. If what you've told me is true, then her Ministry career won't just be over, she will likely also be sentenced to Azkaban. Thank you for informing me of this."

"Of course, Ma'am. As a State Alchemist, it is my duty to do so."

Madam Bones then went to get her subordinates to investigate Umbridge's office. Selim walked back to Dumbledore and Minister Fudge. Harry was nowhere to be seen.

"Mr. Bradley, I've sent Harry back to Hogwarts. I must give Cornelius his half-hour of my time to explain what has happened here. I will return you to Hogwarts afterwards. I believe that everyone who came here with you tonight, as well as myself, deserve an answer to what we have seen here, in the Atrium."

Selim nodded.

"Very well, sir." He then turned to the minister. "Minister Fudge, thank you for extending this opportunity for diplomatic relations to Amestris. However, I'm afraid that we will be unable to continue the exchange program for as long as the Ministry of Magic denies the public the truth about an important issue while discrediting its sources. In addition, Fuhrer Grumman likely won't want to meet with a minister who allows his subordinates to use Dark objects to punish schoolchildren. I've already asked Madam Bones to investigate that."

And with that, Selim walked towards the lifts in order to help Healers tend to the wounded in the archway room, leaving a smiling Dumbledore and a sputtering Fudge behind.

 **Wooooo! Selim vs Voldemort. I don't think that it came out as well as I wanted, but the fight itself was ok, I think. The first half of this chapter was largely dialogue-heavy from the book, and I'm sorry for that. I also think that Selim could have killed Voldemort somewhat easily, but I needed Dumbledore to have his time fighting as well. I'm going to go back to my usual schedule after this chapter, so I don't have such a long pause again. Leave a review or PM me on what you think of this chapter, what I could have done better, and whether I should put in an epilogue. Not a 'Two years later,' kind of epilogue, but a short 'post-credits scene' kind of epilogue. We're almost to the end of the story! Until the next chapter!**


	18. The Explanation

**Hello, my loyal readers! Thank you for all your reviews and favorites! I'd been planning the Voldemort/Selim fight since I began this story and it feels somewhat surreal seeing it written down and posted. Now that Harry's seen Selim's abilities, he'll have a lot of questions. This is the chapter where he finally gets some answers. Onto it!**

 **I don't own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist.**

Harry had been waiting in Dumbledore's office when Selim was returned to Hogwarts. He could see that the boy had been grieving for Sirius and he decided to leave his explanation for the next morning. Giving Harry an understanding nod, he left for the Gryffindor dormitories.

The next morning, he read the news on the battle at the Ministry.

 **HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS**

In a brief statement Friday night, Minister of Magic

Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

Has returned to this country and is active once more.

"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself

Lord- well, you know who I mean- is alive and among us again," said Fudge,

Looking tired and flustered as he addressed reporters

"It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban,

who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ.

We believe that the dementors are currently taking direction from Lord- Thingy.

We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently

publishing guides to elementary home and personal defense that will be delivered

free to all Wizarding homes within the coming month."

The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the Wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumors that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more."

Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening.

Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was unavailable for comment last night. He has insisted for a year that You-Know-Who was not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile the Boy Who Lived-

Selim flipped through the remainder of the passage, noting that the Daily Prophet had left out the fact that it was the source of the slander against Harry and Dumbledore. It was idiotic what the public in the Wizarding World believed. He continued skimming the paper until he found another story that peaked his interest.

 **AMESTRIAN/BRITAIN RELATIONS CUT OFF**

In a shocking turn of events, the country of Amestris released a statement on Friday afternoon that they would no longer continue relations with the Ministry of Magic following reports of abuse of power, corruption, and incompetence on the Ministry representative assigned to working with the Amestrian representative at Hogwarts school.

This representative, Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge, was accused by the Amestrian representative, Major Selim Bradley, of using an object of Dark magic for punishment and detentions, as well as invading students' privacy by opening owl post entering and leaving the school. Bradley also stated that he and a number of other students were forced to answer questions under the influence of Veritaserum, which had been administered without their consent or consent of their parents. Bradley has also stated that on the afternoon of Thursday, some time before the events that took place at the Ministry, Madam Umbridge was preparing to use the Cruciatus Curse on a student.

Major Bradley was not available for comment on the events at the Ministry, but this reporter is sure that the Ministry will be launching a full investigation into Madam Umbridge's actions during the school year at Hogwarts.

Selim set the paper down and finished his breakfast. He then set off for the hospital wing. Dumbledore would be waiting there with the DA members from the battle at the Ministry. The explanation wouldn't be pleasant, but he felt that the students and headmaster had earned one nonetheless.

He was almost there when he encountered Malfoy and his cronies. Malfoy didn't look pleased at all. It wasn't surprising, as his father had been arrested, along with the other Death Eaters at the Ministry.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my father, Bradley!"

"And what, exactly, did I do to him?"

"You got him arrested! You and Potter and all of your other little friends! I thought we were friends? You could have said that he was helping to stop the Death Eaters!"

"If I recall correctly, he told you to find out more about me and my country, just as I was ordered to find out more about Voldemort from you, Draco. The results were that we both got very little, leading to equivalent exchange. Besides, even if I did speak up for your father, the other witnesses would say otherwise."

Malfoy and his bookends drew their wands and stalked towards him.

A moment later, Selim stepped over their groaning, semiconscious bodies and proceeded to the hospital wing.

-Line Break-

The Golden Trio and the other DA members were in hospital beds except for Harry, Ginny, and Luna, who were in different places across the wing. It appeared that Hermione was reading the same paper that Selim had been.

"I hope I'm not late."

The group turned to look at Selim and immediately began asking questions.

"Is it true that you survived the Killing Curse to the chest?"

"How did you control the shadows?"

"If you had that kind of power, why didn't you use it sooner?"

"Now, now, I believe that Mr. Bradley would like to be able to tell us his story without speaking over questions."

Selim turned to see Dumbledore standing behind him. The old man gestured for him to enter the hospital wing, before conjuring two chairs for them. Selim took a seat and looked at the others.

"Alright, I'm guessing that you want to know how I was able to survive Voldemort's Killing Curse, and was able to fight him. Right?"

The students nodded.

"Okay, it's kind of a long story. The first thing to explain is that I was able to survive the curse is because I'm not human-" The DA members exploded with more questions, but Selim quickly quieted them down.

"Hermione, I believe that you investigated this with your friends earlier this year. Am I correct?"

Hermione looked surprised.

"No, we were investigating because you and Captain Hawkeye were talking about things that you didn't want the Order to know about, like the homunc- you're a homunculus!"

The DA members looked confused, looking between Hermione and Selim.

"Yes, Hermione. I am a homunculus."

"The book said that there was no record of a homunculus ever being successfully created."

"Officially, in Amestris, that is the case. The government didn't want anybody making homunculi of their own."

"How does being a homunculus keep you from dying or allow you to control shadows?"

Selim shook his head before answering.

"I don't know exactly how I was created, specifically. But, I know that I was created with a Philosopher's Stone as my core. Without it, I could not be alive."

The DA looked shocked, and Ron spoke up.

"So you're immortal?"

"No, eventually my Stone will run out of energy, and I will die, however, since I age normally, I'll likely die of old age long before then. Any further explanation about whay that would be requires the Stone's recipe, which is classified."

"How come you can control shadows?"

"That was the power I was created with. I was originally a tiny, fetus-like creature, but I appeared as a black, shadowy blob. My father, the one who created me, created a humanoid container to allow me to travel. When it was destroyed, I was turned back into that fetus, and my uncle gave me to my mother to raise me again."

"You said that that was the power you were created with. Are their others?"

"Yes, but all of them require the Philosopher's Stone to some extent."

Harry threw in a question of his own.

"Why were you looking at those files about the homunculi if you are one?"

Selim shot him a glare, but answered anyway.

"I had six siblings. Lust, Greed, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Wrath. They all died, and I am the last. I wanted those files in order to find out what exactly happened to them."

The DA gave him confused and sympathetic looks.

Dumbledore spoke for the first time since they entered.

"Your siblings' names are those of the seven deadly sins of man. Does that make you Pride?"

"Yes, Professor."

Hermione frowned.

"You've mentioned your mother and uncles. How are they related to you, exactly?"

"My mother was Wrath's wife/ Due to circumstances that you don't need to know anything about, we needed to pretend to be a family. After Wrath died and I was reduced to my true form, Edward returned me to her. She took me in, even after knowing what I was. My father was, for lack of a better term, the son of Ed and Al's father, though they were more like friends. Ed and Al weren't born until a long time after. We share a connection by blood, so I call them my uncles."

Ron spoke again.

"How old are you really? If the Stone can extend your life?"

"I consider myself to be thirteen, as that was how long ago it was that my container was destroyed and I was reborn, so to speak. In terms of how long since my creation, a little over four hundred years."

Everyone stared. Selim sighed, realizing that he'd just opened up the opportunity for many more questions.

"How could your grandfather live so long as to have two more children that are still alive? How old are your uncles?"

"The first question is a long story that I'm not going to tell. The second, Ed is twenty-nine and Al is twenty-eight."

Hermione got a look of realization on her face.

"You were the Selim Bradley that died during the coup. The Fuhrer's first son."

Selim nodded.

"Yes. My container was destroyed during the coup. How and why, you don't need to know."

"So Wrath was Fuhrer Bradley?"

"Yes. He was originally human, so his body already aged. My container was made to look like a child, so I didn't age."

"Why did you and Wrath need to pretend to be father and son?"

"You don't need to know why. Next question?"

"Why didn't you just kill Voldemort at the Ministry?"

"I wanted your government to realize that he was back."

"Why didn't you tell Dumbledore or the Order what you were before now?"

"We believed that you would consider me to be very Dark."

"What did the Sorting Hat see that made you take it off?"

"A traumatic moment for me, personally."

Dumbledore interrupted the next question.

"I believe that Mr. Bradley has told us all that we needed to know, and a bit more. Thank you for telling us this, Mr. Bradley."

Selim nodded and left the hospital wing. Then, he turned back.

"Professor, may I have a moment of your time?"

-Line Break-

"My boy, what did you want to talk to me about?" Dumbledore asked Selim outside the door of the hospital wing.

"Professor, over the course of my time here, I've felt energy coming from things that shouldn't have it. Soul energy."

"Really?"

"The first was at Grimmauld Place, a locket that I found. I also sensed it in Harry's scar. There's something about it that isn't his soul. I also sensed it in Voldemort, he might be the cause of it."

Dumbledore's face went serious.

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Bradley. I will investigate this immediately."

"I looked, but I couldn't find anything about souls like that in the library."

Dumbledore nodded, then smiled.

"I suppose that now I have an explanation for what Professor Umbridge meant by 'shadow monsters,' when I rescued her from that tree in the Forbidden Forest.

-Line Break-

Selim sat in the third-year's dormitory packing his things. School wasn't out yet, but it would be soon. It was best to be prepared. He turned when he heard a voice behind him.

"Selim?"

Harry was standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Is it possible to bring people back to life with alchemy? Could a Philosopher's Stone do it?"

Selim sat up straighter.

"Harry, I'm only going to say this once. _No._ Ed and Al studied alchemy from when they were very little, and they still failed, at great cost to themselves. It wasn't even their mother that they created. And even if you did use my Philosopher's Stone, which you may not, it would only use the soul that was taken to animate the body. When a soul leaves its body for good, you can't get it back. I'm sorry."

Harry nodded sadly, and turned to leave.

"And Harry?"

He turned back.

"I've never really been close with anybody, a side effect of living for centuries. But you still have memories and experiences with that person to remember them by. Don't forget that."

Harry nodded again, then left.

 **Given what people have said about this chapter in the reviews, I decided to rewrite the explanation, hopefully more in character for Selim. Please let me know if this is an improvement. I'll post next week, at some time or another. We only have a few more chapters to go! Until the next chapter!**


	19. Family Matters

**Hello, everybody! Here we are. The last chapter. It's been a long time coming, and now it's here. Let's get to it, shall we?**

 **I don't own Harry Potter of Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, I would be much richer.**

Selim worried about Harry. He knew that he'd be brought back to Amestris at the end of the year. If not for the aborted relations between the Wizarding World and Amestris, then for the now unnecessary need for him to guard Harry. With the public now aware of Voldemort's return, he'd be more restricted in his movements, forcing him to act toward other goals than Harry's death.

However, the psychological danger to Harry was still very real. Sirius Black had been the closest thing to family that Harry had. Selim wasn't a psychologist, though he certainly could become one with his knowledge of humans, but he knew that Harry needed to talk to someone about his godfather's death. Just after their brief conversation about resurrecting the dead through alchemy, Selim had entered the fifth-year boy's bedroom to see Harry staring at a small mirror, and repeating Sirius's name to it. Apparently, the mirror was meant to serve as a communication device between Harry and Sirius, and hadn't been discovered until then.

The knowledge that a direct, unwatched line to Sirius had been in his possession all that time must have hurt. Selim didn't want that hurt to consume him completely. That's why, the next day, he spoke to Harry.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

"I'm fine, Selim."

"I understand humans well enough to know that you're not."

"What would you know about it! You said that you were never close with anybody!"

"Maybe not then, but now I wish I had been. The sibling that I was closest with was Wrath, and even then, it wasn't really familial. The others, I just sort of looked down on them. I saw myself as superior to them, as well as humans. Sure, older siblings look down on their younger siblings sometimes, but not like I did."

"Why did they die? If you regenerate, how is that possible?"

"We...weren't created for the good of mankind, if that wasn't made clear from my secrecy. Our father, he wanted to claim the power of God for himself."

"How would he - "

"He created the nation of Amestris to prepare a large enough supply of ingredients for a Philosopher's Stone that could contain the power within his body after opening the portal for it. He also created the country in order to carve the circle for the transmutation under it. He believed that removing the sins of humanity from himself would prepare him to contain and wield the power of God. He created me first, then Lust, then Greed, then Envy and so on. We carried out his orders to prepare the circle while he made sure there were people to cover up our involvement. In answer to your question about how my siblings died, around fourteen years ago, several humans found out that we were up to something. They didn't find out what until just before the Promised Day. We attempted to silence them, whether through constant observation and dividing them, or just killing them, but they still defeated us in the end, and countered our plan. Lust was the first to die, incinerated to death by the Flame Alchemist some time before the Promised Day. I… I killed Gluttony myself, the night before the Promised Day, to give myself an advantage over my enemies. Looking back, I regret it, but I can't change it."

Harry was looking at him with a shocked expression. An admission of murder wasn't something that was simply ignored, no matter the person's feelings on the matter. Selim sighed before continuing.

"The rest died at different times during the Promised Day. That's why I wanted the files on them, to know what happened to them. Harry, I'm not asking you to agree with the person that I was at that time. For the most part, I'm a very different person now. But, I did what I did. There's no changing that."

Harry nodded distractedly. Then, he asked a question that Selim hadn't been expecting.

"What could your father have possibly needed so much of to create a Philosopher's Stone that he created an entire country?"

Selim frowned. He couldn't tell Harry, even if he wanted to.

"It's classified, Harry. Even if I could tell you, I wouldn't. It's a terrible thing to know. It would destroy any alchemist with a conscience."

Harry looked slightly disappointed, but nodded. He looked sadly at the mirror in his hand. Selim left him with one more thing to think about.

"What happened wasn't your fault, Harry. You had too much on your mind to think about that mirror before now, because of your idiotic Ministry, Umbridge, and Voldemort. Sirius was the closest thing you had to a family member. His death is on Voldemort's head, not yours. Sirius would want you to mourn him, but to move on and focus on the war."

"That's a far cry from what you said on the Knight Bus."

"On the Knight Bus, I was concealing my identity from all of you, as well as trying to keep you safe from Voldemort. However, with everything that's happened, you are a part of this war now, whether you're a child or not. I assume that the prophecy we found confirmed that."

Harry nodded. "It said that a child born at the end of July would have a power that the Dark Lord didn't know, would be marked as his equal, and...neither can live while the other survives."

Selim absorbed the information, then slowly shook his head.

"Taking a life isn't an easy thing. My uncle Edward never killed anyone, it was against his morals. But, if that is what you have to do…"

"You think I - "

"I am not a wizard, nor am I part of the prophecy. I can't tell you what to do. However, you'll find your own way. One that is right for you. Not from Dumbledore, not from Voldemort, something that is your plan."

Harry looked better than he had when Selim had entered. "Thanks, Selim."

"Of course. And Harry?" Harry looked up at him. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody about what I told you about myself. Not even your friends."

"You don't trust them?"

"I do, but Hermione has too much faith in books, she'd never accept the things I'd done. Ron would be too horrified by my actions to fully trust me again. But you trust them fully, which is good. When it comes down to it, in your coming war, trustworthy people will be a precious commodity."

Selim left after that. He was sure that he'd left Harry with a lot to think about.

-Line Break-

It was the day before the end of term. Selim was walking to dinner. The other students had left earlier, but he'd been finishing a final report on his mission and recommendations on future attempts to gain allies outside of their neighboring countries.

As he walked towards the Great Hall, he heard footsteps. As they came closer, he heard a voice saying things about 'career in ruins,' and 'convince then of the danger,' and 'they'll _have_ to listen to me.'

Moving into an adjoining hallway, Selim waited for the muttering Professor Umbridge to pass him by, then stepped out behind her. He wasn't going to let her leave without a final farewell.

" _ **So, out of the tree, are we?"**_

Umbridge stopped _cold_. Her hands trembled. She looked like she wanted to reach for her wand, but it was gone. Destroyed in the forest. She turned to face Selim and he took a moment to enjoy her expression.

" _ **I took the liberty to inform your superiors of your..unorthodox methods of punishment. They weren't pleased."**_

Her face twitched. Her eyes bulged even more than usual. She looked like she wanted to bolt as shadows slithered down the hall away from the young teenager in front of her. Selim gave her a cold smile. He could practically _taste_ her fear.

" _ **I also made sure to inform them of your incompetence and abuse of power over me and the other students. Please, I hope you enjoy the 'warm' welcome they will have for you back at the Ministry."**_

Umbridge took a quick step back, shaking profusely.

" _ **I'll be watching, Professor. Don't make me return to 'correct' your behavior again."**_

He retracted his shadows, and Umbridge ran for it. He'd been bluffing about watching her. His range wasn't _that_ good. However, she didn't know that, and Harry and the others could always tell him if they were having problems with her.

Smirking at a job well done, he turned and walked towards the Hall. He watched Umbridge leave, especially as Peeves chased her from the grounds.

-Line Break-

Selim encountered Harry only once that day, late in the evening. With nothing else to do, with all his packing done, he'd wandered the halls, thinking back on the events of the mission. Then, he noticed Harry and Luna.

"What's going on here?"

Harry turned to him.

"Luna's things were taken over the course of the school year. I was offering to help her look." He then turned to Luna. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you look for your stuff?"

"Oh no," said Luna. "No, I think I'll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up… It always does in the end… Well, have a nice holiday, Harry."

Harry wished her the same, and both walked off in different directions. Selim watched them go, then looked up to see a pair of shoes hanging from the ceiling.

"Luna, wait."

She turned, and he used a tendril of shadow to retrieve the shoes and give them to here. She put a hand on the shadow tendril, almost like it was a dog, and smiled.

"You are a strange person, Selim Bradley."

Selim smiled. "I've never been told that to my face before. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended."

Luna chuckled. "I'm thinking of asking Daddy about writing an article about homunculi for his magazine, the Quibbler. No specifics about you, or how to make them, just what they can do and whatnot."

"You don't need my permission for that, Luna. I'm just concerned about people knowing about the existence of homunculi."

"Most people believe the Quibbler to be full of nonsense. Your secret should be safe, Selim."

She withdrew her hand from the shadow, thanked him for helping her with the shoes, and left. Selim retracted the shadow and kept walking.

-Line Break-

The trip back to London was eventful in several ways. Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had clearly been waiting for a chance to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of D. A. members and a compartment containing one homunculus State Alchemist who was a master of hand-to-hand combat. However, it didn't matter what injuries Selim Bradley left on the three, as by the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniforms as Harry, ernie, and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze. Ron joined them and the group bantered about the Slytherin's parents' reactions to the appearances to their children.

After thanking them, Harry and Ron returned to their compartment to join Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna. They occupied themselves with reading the paper or playing games. The only real moment of surprise was Ron's reaction to discovering that Ginny was dating another student in Gryffindor.

As the train arrived at King's Cross, Harry considered simply staying on board until the next fall, but ultimately left the train with the others. He followed the others onto the platform, mulling over the things that Selim had told him in the hospital wing and the dormitory. When the ticket inspector signaled that it was safe for them to pass through the barrier, he walked through with Ron and Hermione. He was surprised by the people waiting for him on the other side.

There was Mad-Eye Moody, wearing his bowler hat to conceal his magical eye. Tonks stood behind him, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Next to her was Lupin, looking pale in his threadbare clothes. In front of all of them stood the Weasley parents, dressed in Muggle clothes, and the twins, wearing strange, scaley, green suits. As they were greeted by the group, Harry noticed three more people standing with the group.

One was an older woman with greying brown hair, kind eyes, and wearing a shawl over Muggle clothes that seemed to be slightly old-fashioned. She reminded him of Mrs. Weasley, but lacked the intimidating temper that she had. Flanking her were two men who looked to be in their late twenties. Both wore vests and green trench coats. One had long hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and the top button of his shirt unbuttoned, the other had short hair and his shirt fully buttoned up with a green necktie. Their blond hair and golden eyes betrayed their relation to one another. Harry was wondering who they were when he heard a voice call, "Mother!"

Selim stepped out from behind Harry and rushed to give the woman a hug. It was surprising to see Mrs. Bradley in person, as well as Selim truly glad to see her, but Harry simply smiled and turned back towards the Order. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face the person who had done it. It was the longer-haired of the two men with Mrs. Bradley.

"Hello," he spoke in a heavily accented voice that showed that he hadn't been fluent in English for very long, "I am Edward Elric. You are Harry Potter?"

Harry simply nodded at the man.

"I am pleased to meet you. You annoyed Selim greatly during his mission, but he still speaks highly of you."

Harry smiled. He glanced back at Selim, who was conversing with the other man, who he assumed to be Alphonse, in rapid Amestrian.

"It was good to meet him. He didn't tell us much about how he was protecting me. My friends and I like to investigate things, and his lack of answers made us curious."

Edward chuckled at that. Harry remembered what Selim had said about him. He'd become a State Alchemist at the age of twelve, and retired at fifteen. He'd fought during the coup, and had a wife and children in a small town called Resembool. He'd been short as a child, something he'd been very sensitive about, with reactions that even years later, still made Selim laugh.

Harry also remembered what Selim had said about him in the dormitory. Edward and Alphonse had attempted to resurrect their dead mother and failed, at great cost to themselves. Harry couldn't see anything wrong with them, but also didn't really want to know.

Edward nodded at Harry, then walked back over to his nephew and the others. Harry followed the Order members over to the Dursleys, who looked appalled at the welcoming committee.

Mr. Weasley was speaking to Uncle Vernon.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry." said Mr. Weasley, still smiling.

"Yeah," growled Moody. "About how he's treated when he's at your place."

Uncle Vernon's mustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Perhaps because of the bowler hat, he assumed that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, and addressed himself to Moody.

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house - "

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley." growled Moody.

"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, whose pink hair seemed to offend Aunt Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry-"

"-and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," added Lupin pleasantly.

"Yes," said Mr. Weasley, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone-"

" _Telephone,"_ whispered Hermione.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.

Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His eyes flicked to the Bradleys and the Elric brothers. Clearly, he was more worried about being seen with this bunch of oddballs by, what he assumed was, a well-dressed, upper-class family than his fear of those with magic.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" he said loudly, so that passerby would take notice.

"Yes, I am," said Mad-Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon.

 _ **I'd have to say you do, Mr. Dursley."**_

Both Moody and Vernon turned to Selim, who'd spoken up before Moody could. As they watched, a shadow wrapped around Uncle Vernon's legs and made its way up towards his torso.

The Dursleys went white with fear. Clearly, they thought that they were safe with what they'd thought to be a 'normal' family nearby.

Moody eyed the shadow cautiously, tipping his bowler hat to reveal his magical eye.

"So, Potter… give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along…"

Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbors would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path. Either that, or fear of the shadows that ensnared Uncle Vernon.

"Bye, then, Potter," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand.

"Take care, Harry," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."

"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again.

"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand.

"Really soon, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "We promise."

Harry nodded.

"If you need to contact me, Harry," Selim said, holding out a piece of paper, "my phone number is here. I might not always be home, but Mother will tell me if you call."

Harry took the piece of paper, and the shadow holding Uncle Vernon retreated. Selim nodded at Harry, then he and his family turned and walked off. Harry smiled, raised his hand in farewell to the rest of the Order, and turned to lead the way out of the station toward the sunlit street, with the Dursleys hurrying after him.

 **There it is! The last chapter of Secrets and Shadows! It's amazing that I've completed my first story! I really enjoyed writing this, as it got me to do something more than just sit around and be lazy during the summer. I was even more surprised with how many people followed and favorited it. I'm honored that you all enjoy my writing. I'll probably post the epilogue sometime later today, and don't think that I'm done writing!. I have another story idea, I just need to write out the outline for it! Keep your eyes peeled for that when I post the first chapter. Thank you for reading Secrets and Shadows!**


	20. Epilogue

**And here is the epilogue! I came up with this pretty quickly after asking if anyone wanted an epilogue, so it is more aware of the events of the story than the prologue. So, on to the epilogue!**

 **I don't own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist (But you already knew that!)**

The man once known as Tom Marvolo Riddle was thinking. He was furious. He was furious with his followers. He was furious with the students of Hogwarts trained to combat him. He was furious with Dumbledore. He was extremely furious with Harry Potter. However, one thing intrigued him rather than infuriated him. The alchemist. The one who'd fought him in the Ministry.

Voldemort would never admit it to anybody, but the battle with Selim Bradley worried him. He was sure that those shadows that the teen had conjured up would have been more than capable of destroying his body during their fight, but hadn't. The boy had _chosen_ to keep him alive. _A possible weakness,_ he thought to himself.

Of course, even without killing him, Selim Bradley could still be extremely dangerous. He'd heard that one of his Death Eaters had been paralyzed in the Department of Mysteries, stabbed in the back. When his mask had been removed, the skin of the man's _face_ was gone. No magic was detected to have caused the injury, leading Voldemort to suspect it was alchemy.

In addition to the crippling of one of his followers, Voldemort considered the power that the alchemist had shown to him and Potter. The ability to survive a direct Killing Curse with no magic, no mother's sacrifice, and no body-destroying backlash was impressive. Voldemort did not fear death, as he had made the seven. Even with the destruction of the diary, there were still six more well hidden. However, Selim Bradley clearly hadn't done the same. That interested Voldemort. However he kept himself alive, however he could control those powers, Voldemort wanted to find out.

The boy had narrowly escaped him at Christmastime. Had he accepted the Malfoy's invitation to stay with them, he'd have met the Dark Lord personally. Legilimency and torture would have given Voldemort information about Dumbledore and Potter he wanted, and perhaps a Confundus charm or the Imperius Curse would have given him a new, powerful follower. That was his plan for the holiday. However, with Bradley spending the holiday season with Potter and his true power revealed, the plan had been abandoned, and the Ministry job would make Bradley disposable. Or so he'd thought.

Nagini curled around him as he summoned one of his followers. With Lucius Malfoy's arrest, he'd been forced to flee Malfoy Manor and instead stay in one of his less publicly known follower's houses.

Wormtail entered the room, shaking slightly in fear as he did. Voldemort addressed him.

"Wormtail, I have a job for you."

"Y-yes, my Lord?"

"Yes, Wormtail. You are to go to the country of Amestris and find out everything you can about Selim Bradley."  
"I will do as you wish, Master."

Wormtail left as quickly as he'd come. Voldemort watched him go. Someday soon, Dumbledore and Potter would be dead, and he would rule the Wizarding World. Perhaps after that, he'd turn his attention to Amestris, to see if it was worth taking as well.

The idea made him smile.

 **And there is the epilogue. I hope that I kept Voldemort at least somewhat in character. Most of the story centered around Selim, Harry, or Hermione's points of view, so introducing a new POV for the epilogue was difficult to pull off. I think that I did it well enough, though. Once again, thank you for reading Secrets and Shadows. Until the next story!**


	21. Author's Note

**I've received several reviews and PMs asking if I intend to write a sequel to Secrets and Shadows. To all of you want me to write a sequel? PM me or leave a review on whether or not I should write a sequel. If enough people want a sequel and I can find time to juggle it and my other stories in progress and upcoming, I will write it.**


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